Memorial Day
by bimontenxgro
Summary: Memorial Day is coming up, and Christine wants to make this one special for her dad and the soldiers' families. Set post S12. Mostly light and fluffy BB family interactions.
1. Cards and Cuddles

**A/N: So this story is definitely a lot more light and fluffy than The Angst in the Episodes. My main goal is to focus on the relationships between Christine and her parents because I love B &B as parents. There will also be a fair amount of Brennan and Angela in this one. I think it'll end up being around 5-10 chapters, but that's based on my outline so it could change. I hope you enjoy and reviews are much appreciated!**

* * *

"How was school today, sweetie?" Brennan asks Christine at the dinner table. "Today is Monday, which means you had your art class today. What did you do for your project?"

"School was awesome! We got to do a science lesson today; we talked all about the water cycle. Art was a lot of fun! We worked on creating our own American flags because next week is Memorial Day," Christine replies excitedly. "Daddy, does that mean that it's almost time to go to the cemetery again?"

"Yes it does, Christine," Booth says to his daughter. "One week from today is Memorial Day, so that's when we go to the cemetery. Are you sure you still want to come, even though you have to get up super early to go with me?"

"Of course I still want to go! Going to the cemetery is our tradition! Plus it's important to remember the soldiers who died to protect us, right?"

"Right, peanut. I'm so pr-" Booth cuts off his statement to catch the broccoli that Hank tries to throw across the table at his sister.

"Hank," Brennan interjects, "broccoli is for eating, _not_ for throwing at your big sister." Hank simply babbles in response and returns to eating his dinner.

"Daddy?" Christine asks.

"Yea, sweetie?"

"I wanna do something else for Memorial Day."

"Like what?" Booth asks.

Christine thinks for a moment before her face lights up and she exclaims, "Make cards! I could make cards for people's families."

Brennan and Booth both smile at their daughter before Booth responds. "That sounds like a great idea, Christine, but I'm not sure who to make the cards for." His little girl's face falls a bit, so Booth decides he will do anything in his power to make her plan work. "But," he begins, brightening her face again, "how about I talk to one of my old Army buddies to see if he could send the cards to families who have lost soldiers recently?"

"Please! I really want to remember and honor the soldiers." Booth looks at his daughter like she hung the stars before standing up and pulling her into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Christine," he says as he holds her to his chest. Brennan looks on, smiling at her husband and daughter, proud of them both.

After the family finishes dinner, Christine takes Hank to his room to read him a story while her parents work on cleaning up the kitchen. As she folds tinfoil over the plate of leftovers, Brennan looks over at Booth loading the dishwasher. "How do you feel about Memorial Day this year?" she asks softly.

He looks up and briefly meets her gaze before returning his attention to his task. "It hurts, Bones; it's always gonna hurt. But sharing it with Christine helps a little, and I'm so proud of how much it seems to mean to her."

"It means so much to her because it means so much to _you_ , Booth. She loves you and she'd do anything to make you happy. I'm just glad that she seems to understand the true meaning of this weekend."

"Yeah," Booth smiles, "I guess you're right." He pauses a moment before continuing, "Remember when there was a time when you wouldn't have been able to explain that to me? I'm so proud of how far you've come and how much you've learned just by opening up to people, baby," he says, moving behind her and putting his arms around her waist.

She leans back into him for a moment before responding, "It's not just because I've opened up to people, Booth." She turns to look at him, gratitude shining in her eyes. "It's because you've taught me. You've taught me how to read people and you've taught me how to open myself up to others, how to trust people again." She presses a soft kiss to his lips. "Now let's go put the kids to bed so I can show you how thankful I am." A grin spreads across Booth's face as he hugs his wife tight before turning to go through the kids' bedtime routines.

* * *

The next morning at work, Booth finds a bit of downtime to work on Christine's request. He calls his friend Dean, who he served with when Bones ran off to Maluku. Dean is still enlisted, but working stateside due to an injury, so Booth figures he's his best bet to find families for whom Christine can make cards. When Dean hears that Booth's daughter wants to do something special for Memorial Day, he suggests that they meet up for lunch. Booth agrees, texting Bones to tell her that he can't pick her up for lunch today.

When Booth arrives at the restaurant, Dean is already there. He stands up to greet Booth with a hug and a handshake. "How's it going, Booth? It's been a while since I've heard from ya," Dean says sitting down.

The waiter comes over, asking if he can get Booth something to drink. Although he'd love to have a beer and catch up with his buddy, he has to go back to work, so he just orders a water. "I've been pretty good. Bones and the kids are great. We're actually working on getting approved for emergency placements for kids in foster care. And like I said on the phone, Christine wants to do something for soldiers' families for Memorial Day. How are you doin'?" Booth asks.

"I still can't believe you got the girl who broke your heart so bad that you re-enlisted to marry you," Dean laughs.

"Hey," Booth corrects, "I didn't re-enlist on my own. The Army reached out to _me_. Bones just happened to be the reason I couldn't say no. Really, how are you, though?"

"I'm alright. Being stateside for this long is weird, but I don't hate it. I've been here long enough that I actually may have found my own 'Bones.' I'm pretty happy about that situation at least."

"Really? I've never even heard you mention going on a date, I can't believe you've got a girlfriend."

"Well, I don't have a girlfriend," Dean says cautiously. Booth's face falls into confusion as Dean continues, "I have a boyfriend, Booth."

Understanding dawns on Booth as his face lights up again, happy for his friend. "You're—" he cuts himself off, trying to find the right thing to say. "How come you never mentioned it before? It doesn't matter to me as long as you're happy, Dean."

"Thanks, Booth, that means a lot. But just 'cause it doesn't matter to _you_ doesn't mean it didn't matter to the Army. When we were over there, Don't Ask, Don't Tell hadn't been repealed yet. After you came home and it got repealed, we didn't see each other often. I wasn't seeing anyone; it never came up. I wasn't hiding it; I just don't shout it from the rooftops unprompted. Besides, I'm bisexual, so when the guys talk about women when we're overseas, it was easy for me to jump in. I didn't like that I couldn't talk about guys, but that's just how it was then."

Booth nods at his friend, asking to hear more about his boyfriend before they get around to the point of their meeting. They catch up through their meal, and once they finish eating, Booth feels lighter than he ever does this time of year. It's hard for him to go on like it's business as usual when the whole world is trying to remind him of fallen soldiers. He thinks it would be easier if people remembered that this weekend was about remembering, not just having a three-day weekend and spending it getting wasted by the pool.

Dean pulls Booth from his thoughts when he says, "So, what's this project that your little girl wants to do for Memorial Day?"

Booth shakes his head to clear his mind before responding. "Well, since Memorial Day is about remembering the soldiers we've lost, she wanted to make cards for their families. I was thinking about maybe doing them for some of these guys," Booth says, pulling a list of names from his pocket. He had gone through the news reports and FBI files he could access from the past few years to pull names of soldiers who had died in action in their area. Thankfully, there had been fewer deaths in the past few years than earlier in the decade, so Booth had to search harder for the names. "I know it's a long list, but I figured you wouldn't be able to track everyone down. It's important to Christine, so I wanna do whatever I can to make it happen."

Dean looks at his friend, noting the pride in the man's face. "Christine came up with this idea all on her own?" he asks.

"Yeah, she did," Booth beams.

"You've got a special little girl there, Booth. I don't think I've met many six year olds who know what Memorial Day really is, never mind who want to go out of their way to do something special for soldiers' families. I can't make any promises, but I'll talk to the superiors and see if there's anything I can do. I'll give you a call tomorrow afternoon to let you know."

The two men talk while they wait for the waiter to bring the check. As Booth climbs back into his SUV, he makes a mental note to talk with Dean more often. He stays at the office a little later than usual that day, making sure he's caught up on all his paperwork in case Christine's project needs him out of the office at all the next few days. As he's leaving the Hoover, he makes a mental note to email Hacker tomorrow morning and let him know he may need a few hours off for Memorial Day. And not just for getting drunk—for honoring those who sacrificed their lives for everyone else's safety.

* * *

When Angela and Brennan pick up the older kids from school, Christine runs crashing into her mother's legs. "Hi Mama!" she shouts before moving over to hug Angela. "Hi Auntie Angela. Why're you both here today? Usually it's only one of you," Christine observes.

"'Cause your mom needed an excuse to escape work for a little while, sweetie," Angela replies. "How was school, guys?"

Christine and Michael Vincent compete to tell their mothers about their days faster and louder as they walk over to the cars. "How about we go get some frozen yogurt before we drop you off at your after-school program?" Brennan asks.

"What's _up_ with you, Mom, you _never_ let me have that much sugar before dinner!"

"I guess I'm just feeling the effects of the seasonal transition, Christine. It's making me desirous of something cool and sweet before I have to get back to work," Brennan answers directly.

Although Michael Vincent is used to the genius-speak of Brennan and his dad, he looks at Christine, blank-faced, awaiting her translation. "She wants froyo because it's starting to feel like summer," Christine explains simply.

Michael's face lights up as he asks, "Can we go, Mom?"

"Hey, I'm pregnant, I'm never gonna say no to sugar, kid. Let's go."

* * *

After their frozen yogurt trip, Angela and Brennan drop the kids off at their enrichment program at the Jeffersonian. Ange stops Brennan before she can return to her work in limbo. "Yes, Angela?" Brennan says when she feels her friend's hand on her arm.

"What's going on with you today, Brennan?" Angela asks, concern present in her voice.

"Nothing. I'm fine, what are you talking about?"

"You voluntarily left work and then consumed a boatload of sugar with your kid a few hours before dinner. That is not 'fine' Brennan behavior and you know it."

"While 'boatload' is not a valid unit of measure," Brennan responds, "I understand your point. I suppose I have been a bit…off today. There's no cause for concern, however, as I feel fine. I suppose I was simply missing Christine and wanted and excuse to spend time with her, and with you and Michael Vincent."

Angela looks critically at her best friend, trying to find any outward signs that Brennan was not fine, no matter how often she said it. Failing to find these signs, she sighs and relents. "Okay, but you have to promise me you'll tell me if anything is wrong."

"I will, Angela. I'm getting much better at sharing my struggles, especially since the explosion." She pulls her best friend into a hug as if to show her progress. "Can I return to my work now?"

"Yea, just make sure you emerge from limbo in time to pick up Hank and Christine. Booth works late on Tuesdays," she reminds her friend, fighting the nagging suspicion that something wasn't quite right with Bren.

"Thank you, Ange. I won't forget," she says as she turns to head down the limbo. While she descends the stairs, Brennan's mind processes the conversation with Angela and its implications. Since when does she have strong sugar cravings, never mind give into them?

* * *

As Brennan drops her keys in the bowl by the front door, Hank barrels into her legs with a smile. "Up!" he shouts. "Up, up!" Brennan picks him up as she moves to shut and lock the door behind Christine. Hank leans in and plants a wet kiss on her cheek, bringing a smile to her mouth.

"Well someone missed Mama, didn't you, Hank?" Brennan asks, placing a kiss on the top of his head. He nods as he snuggles into her neck, further proving her point. "Would you like to cuddle on the couch for a little bit before I start cooking dinner?"

"Mmmm," he mumbles into her neck. She walks over to the couch and sits down, adjusting Hank so he is sitting across her lap and leaning into her chest. Christine comes down the hall, having put her school stuff away in her room, and shuffles over to join them.

"Can I snuggle too?" she asks.

"Of course you can, sweetie," Brennan says. She reaches her right arm out so that Christine can snuggle in next to them. Christine looks up at her mom and opens her mouth, but closes it before she says what was on her mind. "What is it, Christine?" Brennan asks, noticing her daughter's indecision.

"I think I wanna do something else for Memorial Day," she whispers into her mother's side.

"Why do you look embarrassed, honey? That's something to be proud of, not embarrassed about," Brennan replies, concern evident in both her voice and the V appearing in her brow.

"When I told the class at school about my cards, someone said they were stupid," she says. "They said that the cards wouldn't bring any of the soldiers back, so there wasn't any point in making them." As the words leave her mouth, her voice breaks. Brennan pulls her tightly into her body, trying to maneuver around Hank, who is half asleep in her lap. She presses soft kisses into her daughter's hair as she rubs her back. As she feels her daughter's small body shake with sobs, Brennan has to fight back tears of her own. She doesn't understand how anyone could turn her bright, bubbly daughter's sweet idea into fodder for feelings of inadequacy and foolishness.

As Christine's sobs begin to slow, she nuzzles into her mother's body and ends up nestled next to her brother. Even half asleep, he senses his big sister's presence and reaches out to grab her hand. Feeling his hand on hers, Christine calms down and manages to stop crying. Brennan smiles at how her children interact with each other, at how Hank can comfort his sister without recognizing it. She leans down and gives Christine another kiss on the forehead. "I'm going to go put Hank down in his bed so he can nap, and then I'll be right back, okay?" Christine nods and reluctantly pulls away from her mom and brother. As she watches them walk out of the room, she pulls her knees up to her chest, missing the comfort of their presence.

Brennan comes back a few minutes later and returns to her position at her daughter's side, where Christine immediately crawls into her lap. She sits in a position similar to the one Hank had fallen asleep in just a few minutes ago. Brennan holds her tightly as she says, "Do you feel a little better?"

Christine nods slightly, but doesn't speak or look at her mother's face. Brennan tucks her finger under Christine's chin, encouraging her to look up. "It's okay to be hurt by what your classmate said, Christine." Typically, Brennan would launch into an anthropological lecture at this point, but she skips it today. "But what that child said isn't true."

"Yes it is, Mama!" Christine says, shaking her head. "Nothing I can do will bring the soldiers back!" She drops her chin again and buries her face in her mother's chest to hide the fresh wave of tears.

Rubbing circles on Christine's back, Brennan speaks quietly, "Okay, you are correct. That part is true, but _only_ that part, Christine. Just because the cards won't bring the soldiers back doesn't make them pointless." She pauses for a second, considering the best approach to take, before continuing. "What does Daddy teach you that Memorial Day is all about?"

Christine doesn't answer right away, but Brennan feels her daughter's breathing shift against her own chest, so she waits. She feels her calming down and is grateful she chose to go this route. "Remembering the soldiers," Christine whispers, her voice as small as Brennan has ever heard it.

"Right, Christine. Look at me please?" Christine looks into her mother's eyes, finding comfort as she sees her own reflection in them. Brennan gently wipes the tears from her daughter's eyes and kisses her forehead before continuing. "When you're making cards for the families of soldiers who died for our country, that's exactly what you're doing, sweetie. You're remembering them and you're honoring their sacrifice. That is what this holiday is all about. No matter what mean children say, your cards are not a stupid idea, Christine, and your father and I are so proud of you for coming up with a way to honor the soldiers all on your own."

Hearing her mother's words, relief washes over Christine. She throws her arms around her mother's neck and kisses her before burying her face in her neck. "I love you, Mama," she says.

"I love you too, Christine," Brennan replies, "more than you'll ever know." They sit in silence for a few minutes, simply cuddling and finding comfort in each other's presence. Brennan breathes in the scent of her daughter's hair with every breath, still fuming that someone had hurt her child's self-esteem, even if only temporarily. She makes a mental note to email Christine's teacher about the incident, although she doesn't know if the teacher will be able to help.

"Mama?" Christine asks. "Can I still do something else for Memorial Day?"

"Yes you may, Christine, on one condition. You will still make your cards for the soldiers' families. That idea is very sweet, and I do not want some mean child to take that away from you."

Christine hesitates for a moment, unsure as to whether she still wants to do the cards. But she remembers the look on her dad's face when she told him about her idea and nods her head. "Alright. Two projects for Memorial Day this year then." She stops for a moment before Brennan sees a glint in her eye, a look that usually only appears on Booth's face.

"What are you thinking about, Christine?" Brennan asks cautiously. "It looks as if you are up to something."

"I was thinking that we could make this project a surprise for Daddy for Memorial Day. I know it's importa-" Christine cannot finish her sentence because she is too surprised when she feels herself being crushed against her mother's chest. She hugs her mom back for a few breaths before pulling back and asking, "What was _that_ for, Mama? You didn't even let me finish my sentence!"

"I'm sorry, Christine. It was rude of me to interrupt you like that. But I am just so proud of you. I'm proud that you're recognizing why Memorial Day is important, but I'm even more proud of how much you care about your father. This day is special to him, but it's hard for him, and sharing it with you makes it feel a bit lighter, metaphorically of course."

"Of course I care about Memorial Day, Mommy. I love Daddy and he cares about all of the soldiers, so I do too," she says proudly. She doesn't understand why her mother is proud of her, but it makes her happy anyway.

Brennan leans in and presses another kiss to Christine's temple before asking, "What kind of special surprise Memorial Day project would you like to do, Christine?"

Christine pauses for a moment, her face scrunched up in thought. Her features relax a bit as a smile overtakes them. "Care packages!" she shouts. "We should send care packages to soldiers! They always talk about doing that during Christmas at church, so it must be a good idea, right?"

"That's an excellent idea. We could send care packages to troops who have recently lost soldiers since Memorial Day is about remembering the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect our country. How about we go shopping on Saturday to get the supplies to send in the packages?"

"Okay, Mommy! Can we get our nails painted too? I wanna do a special girls-only day, no Hank allowed." Brennan smiles at her daughter. Sometimes Christine seems much older than six, but wanting a day with her mom and without her little brother reminds Brennan of her true age.

"That sounds like a great idea, sweetie."

"Can Auntie Ange and Auntie Cam come too? It can't be a _real_ girls-only day without them!"

"I'll call them and ask. I'm sure Angela will come, but you know Cam doesn't want to spend too much time away from her sons right now."

"Okay, but I really want her to come. I miss her a lot, especially because she can't come visit me at the enrichment program anymore," Christine pouts.

"What are you talking about?" Brennan asks, clearly confused by her daughter's statement.

"Every day when Michael and I were at the enrichment program at the Jeffersonian Auntie Cam used to come visit us. Now she doesn't anymore because she isn't at work, and I miss seeing her! She gives _awesome_ hugs."

Brennan grins. She didn't realize how important the children were to Cam, nor did she realize Cam's importance to Christine. She is happy they love each other, though. Although she and Cam butted heads sometimes, she considers Cam a part of their family and she is glad that Christine does too. "I'll tell her that you miss her visits, hopefully that will convince her." She gives Christine a squeeze before taking her off her lap. "You go start on your homework while I call your aunts and start planning for this surprise project."

Christine runs down the hall to her bedroom feeling much freer than she did before she sat down with her mother. It seemed to her that some time in Mommy's lap and a few hugs could solve all of her problems. Except her math problems, she needed to solve those on her own.


	2. Books and Bedtime

**A/N: Hey guys! I wanted to start off with a huge thank you for all of the positive feedback on this story and especially on "How'd You Get Together?" with a special shoutout to guest reviewers who I can't thank via PM. I** _ **think**_ **I am going to write a sequel to that story once I finish this one up. This chapter's a little shorter than usual, but this just felt like the best place to end the chapter. I'm hoping to post two updates on this one next week and there should be a new Angst in the Episodes chapter up on Sunday. Please continue reviewing; it's the best writing motivation, especially when I'm dealing with chronic illness flare-ups. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

When Booth enters the house, he smells chocolate and vanilla and the house feels cozier than usual. He sees Brennan taking something out of the oven, her hair pulled into a ponytail, and knows that dinner is almost ready. He walks into the kitchen and kisses the top of her head before pulling three dishes from the cabinet. He places them on the kitchen table, then returns to the kitchen for the silverware and napkins. With the table set, he pulls Brennan into his arms and kisses her. "Hey, baby," he says softly. "What's for dinner?"

"Roasted vegetables, white rice, and chicken for you and the kids."

"Then why does it smell so good in here?" he asks.

Brennan rolls her eyes and pretends to be offended by his comment. "That would be dessert. Chocolate chip cookies, from scratch."

Booth pulls her tighter into the hug and kisses her neck. "What did I do to deserve you?" he asks between kisses.

"Booth, not right now," she scolds, but she angles her head so he has better access. "And I think we've already discussed the fact that love is not about deserving, it isn't even about choosing." He tries to move his kisses back to her mouth, but she pushes him away. "Later," she says. "We will finish this later, I insist on it. But right now you need to go wake Hank up from his nap so we can eat dinner and get the kids ready for bed."

Hearing that Hank is asleep, Booth suddenly loses interest in his wife's mouth. "Bones! Why's he asleep? He's never gonna sleep tonight now!"

"Because the minute we walked in the door he crawled into my arms and asked to snuggle."

"Oh," Booth replies knowingly. He understands that if Hank is that mellowed out when they get home that he needs a nap, regardless of whether it'll keep him up way too late. "You didn't feel like having the dump truck thrown at you again?"

"Not particularly," she laughs. "And Christine had a hard day at school. It was easier to deal with her problems if I wasn't fighting an overtired toddler."

"What happened at school?" Booth asks, concern flooding him. Kindergarten was almost over, and Christine had yet to have any serious issues. Booth knew that if she was upset about something that happened at school, it was a bad sign.

"After dinner," Brennan answers. "If we let Hank sleep any longer he really will never sleep tonight. Go get him and Christine while I put the food on the table."

* * *

As usual, Christine reads to Hank while their parents clean up after dinner. "How'd your meeting with Dean go?" Brennan asks as she sweeps up the rice Hank threw on the floor instead of eating.

"Can we talk about Christine's issue at school first?" Booth replies with a sigh as he loads the dishwasher.

"I think we should talk about Dean first and talk about Christine after we put the kids to bed. I don't want her to overhear our conversation and get upset over it again. Did something happen with Dean that you don't want to talk about?" she asks, walking over to her husband. Booth sighs again as he feels Brennan press herself into his back as he stands at the sink.

"No, it's not that I don't want to talk about it, it's just that I don't know how I feel."

"Well, tell me what happened. You usually are able to figure out what you're feeling after you discuss it. And if that doesn't work, I may be able to help you work through it."

"I love you, Bones," Booth says as he pulls her into a hug.

"I love you too, Booth. Now tell me about your lunch."

"It was really nice for the most part. It was good to get to see him, especially when neither of us was at high risk of getting blown up."

"I sense a 'but' coming."

"Yeah, Bones, there's a 'but' coming. He came out to me, Bones."

"Oh. I don't understand why you seem so upset about this, Booth, you've never had an issue with homosexuality before."

"He's not gay, he's bisexual, bu–"

"So? Angela is bisexual as well and you don't have an issue with her," Brennan interjects.

"Like I was saying _before_ you interrupted me, Bones, the fact that he's bi isn't the issue."

"Oh, okay. Then what is the issue?"

"The fact that we've been friends for six years and he didn't tell me until now. It makes me feel like he thought I wasn't going to be okay with that."

"I see," Brennan says as she hands Booth a cookie. "What did he say about it?"

"He said it was because of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. When we served together, it hadn't been repealed yet. After that, he said it just never came up. He's never been stateside for long, so we really haven't had much time to catch up between his tours overseas," Booth says before pausing. "I guess I'm not really upset that he didn't tell me, I'm upset that he _couldn't_ tell me at first, Bones. I love this country and I'm so proud to have served it, but I find it hard to believe that you couldn't be openly gay and serve our country until 2011."

Brennan picks up his hands before responding. "I understand that, Booth. It's hard to accept that America, which is supposed to be the greatest country in the world—even though there is no anthropological proof to support that statement—took so long to realize that a person's sexuality doesn't impact their ability to serve in the military. But that isn't your fault. You didn't pass the legislation in the first place and you were so happy when Obama repealed it. You cannot beat yourself up over something you had no control over." She stops when Booth pulls her into a hug. She nuzzles herself into her favorite spot on his shoulder as she continues, "All you can do now is be a good friend to Dean."

"You're right, Bones. It's just hard for me to reconcile that version of America with the one I see in my head, the one that made me want to serve. I wish people didn't need to hide parts of themselves for so long in order to be in the military."

"I know, Booth," she says, pulling out of his embrace. "Now, tell me about the rest of your lunch with Dean."

As Booth recounts the rest of his lunch with his friend, focusing on how proud Dean seemed to be of Christine's desire to honor fallen soldiers, he and Brennan finish cleaning up the kitchen before going into Hank's room to put him to bed. They stand in his doorway looking in for a few moments before going inside. They don't want to interrupt Christine's portion of the bedtime routine. Every night, she and Hank read stories while their parents clean the kitchen.

When Brennan and Booth walk into Hank's room, he is sitting on his sister's lap holding his blanket. "Mama!" he says, getting up and walking over to Brennan and planting a wet kiss on her cheek as she picks him up.

"Hi, Hank," Brennan says quietly. "Time to change your diaper so we can put you to bed, okay, buddy?" He nods as he snuggles into her shoulder. Christine hops up from her spot on the floor to help change Hank's diaper. As Brennan pulls off Hank's pants and lays him on the changing table, Christine opens the new diaper and pulls out a wipe. After Brennan has put the new diaper on Hank, Christine secures the tabs and then throws out his dirty one.

When Brennan picks him up off the changing table, Booth walks over and pulls both of them into a hug. "Hi, Hank," he says, kissing the boy's head softly. "I love you, bud."

"Love you, too," Hank mumbles, clearly sleepy. "Tine," he says as Christine comes back into the room, having washed her hands and brushed her teeth for bed. Brennan crouches down so Hank can hug Christine.

"Goodnight," Christine says.

"Sleep tight," Hank responds.

Christine says, "Don't let the bed bugs–"

"Bite!" Hank shouts, breaking into a fit of giggles and wrapping his arms around his sister's neck.

"I love you, Hank," she says as she kisses his forehead. "Now go to sleep."

"Seep?" Hank asks, suppressing a yawn. "No, no seep! I not seepy!" Christine giggles, knowing that her baby brother is actually very tired.

"Go into your room, Christine; Daddy and I will be right in," Brennan says, standing up with Hank. "You, mister, are already up past your bedtime."

"That's right, Hank," Booth says. "You stayed up extra late reading with Christine tonight, so now it's time to go to bed." As he says this, Brennan places Hank down on his bed.

"No bed!" he exclaims. "I play." Brennan smiles at this and slides his shirt up his tummy. She blows a raspberry on his stomach while he giggles.

"Yes, time for bed, Hank," Brennan says, smoothing his shirt back into place. She pulls the covers down and then over him. She crosses the room and grabs a book from his bookshelf. "You get one story from me and Daddy, and then it's time to sleep."

"Story," he mumbles, already beginning to drift off as Brennan sits down next to him on his bed.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Brennan and Booth each place a kiss on their son's forehead before slipping out of his room. "His resistance crumbled quickly tonight," Booth laughs as they walk towards Christine's room.

"It did. I was surprised, honestly. He took quite a long nap this afternoon. I guess they really tired him out at daycare today," Brennan replies, walking into Christine's room. She has changed into her pajamas and is sitting in the middle of her bed with two books sitting in front of her.

"Which one are you reading and which one are we reading tonight, kiddo?" Booth asks as he walks around to the other side of Christine's bed. She slides back and leans against her headboard as her parents pull the covers up over her feet and sit on either side of her.

"I'm reading _Hop on Pop_ ," she says proudly, "and you're reading _Madeline_. It's your turn today, Mommy. Last night was Daddy." She hands _Madeline_ to her mother before opening her book and beginning to read out loud to her parents. When she finishes, her parents both praise her as she lies down and they tuck her all the way in.

"Before I read the story, Christine, I want to make sure you're feeling okay about what happened at school today," Brennan says.

Christine looks up at her mother and says, "I am, Mommy. I'm still a little sad that he was so mean to me, but I know that he's wrong and that my idea isn't stupid. If he says anything again, I'll tell the teacher. But I don't think he'll say anything."

"Okay, Christine. I'm sorry he hurt your feelings, but I'm glad you're feeling better than you were this afternoon. Are you ready for the story?"

"Yes, it's my favorite!" she says.

After Brennan finishes the story, she and Booth say their goodnights to their little girl and repeat the game she played with Hank. "Goodnight," Booth and Brennan say at the same time.

"Sleep tight," Christine responds.

They all race to say, "Don't let the bed bugs bite" first, but tonight, like most nights, is a dead tie. They all laugh as Booth and Brennan walk out of Christine's room, shutting the door and the light.

When Booth and Brennan reach their bedroom, Booth looks at Brennan and says, "Okay, she's in bed and I told you about my lunch with Dean, now spill."

"You're using 'spill' as the shortened version of a metaphor telling me to share information with you, correct?" Brennan asks.

Booth glares at her, "Yes, and you know that well enough that you didn't need to clarify. You're stalling." Brennan blushes and Booth knows he was correct. "Now please tell me what happened to Christine at school so I don't jump to the worst possible conclusions."

"Okay," Brennan sighs. "Can we sit down while we have this discussion? I find that just thinking about it upsets me."

"Yeah, babe, c'mere," Booth says, pulling Brennan towards the bed with him. They sit down and he wraps his arm around her.

When he turns to look at her, Brennan takes it as her cue to start. "They were discussing Memorial Day today, so Christine told the class about her plan to make cards for soldiers' families."

"Of course she did, that's my girl," Booth smiles.

"Yes, she was very proud of her plan to celebrate the holiday. Until one of the other children told her the idea was stupid."

"Why the hell would anyone tell her that idea was stupid? It's not stupid!" Booth shouts, growing louder as he gets defensive of his daughter.

"Calm down, Booth. I know you're angry, I am too, but you can't yell. If you wake up either of the children, we can't finish this conversation. And if you wake up Christine, you're going to upset her over this all over again."

"Right," Booth mumbles, looking down. "Sorry, Bones. But why'd he tell her it was stupid?"

"He said it was pointless because the cards wouldn't bring the soldiers back to life, Booth." Brennan feels her resolve crumbling as she gets to this part of the story. "When she told me, her voice was so small," she says, her voice cracking as she begins to cry.

Booth turns so they're facing each other and pulls her to his chest. "It's okay, Bones," he mumbles as he rubs her back. "She's okay now. You did a great job, you helped her feel better."

As Brennan calms down, she starts speaking again, although the sound is muffled slightly by Booth's chest. "She was crying so hard, Booth, her whole body was shaking. I hate that some _stupid,_ mean child could do that to her, especially when it was something she was so excited about."

"Who was it?" Booth asks, wanting to defend Christine. Knowing the name won't matter because he can't go beat up a six-year-old, but he needs to know anyway.

"She didn't tell me and I didn't want to press the issue. I am planning on emailing her teacher tomorrow morning and I will ask her," Brennan replies, finding her composure. She pulls out of Booths arms and takes his hands in hers before continuing. "I explained to her that Memorial Day is about remembering and honoring the soldiers, not about bringing them back. Once she remembered that and realized that was exactly what her cards did, she calmed down a lot."

"Just like her mom," Booth laughs. Noting Brennan's confused expression, he explains, "You used logic to calm her down, Bones. That's exactly what I'd do to calm _you_ down."

"I suppose you're right, but she's not only like me, Booth. She's a lot like you, too."

"I know that, but in this moment she's a lot like you. I said it about Parker and I'll say it now, if _all_ of my kids turn out like you, I'll be happy, Bones."

She leans in and kisses him. "I feel the same way about you, Booth. But I'm so glad you didn't have to see her upset like that. It was as bad as when we told her that my father died, Booth. It was the same body-wracking sob."

Booth hears her voice shift and pulls her to his chest again. "It's okay, babe. It's okay now, she's okay. She's in bed and she isn't upset, okay?" Hearing his wife cry over their daughter crying is almost too much for Booth. He rubs her back and kisses her head until they can both calm down. When Brennan pulls away, Booth wipes away the tears from her eyes.

"You were crying too, Booth," she states, seeming surprised.

"Yeah, Bones, I was. Her being in pain hurts me and you being in pain hurts me."

She nods in response. "Booth?" she asks. When he nods at her to continue, she says, "I know it's irrational, but I find that I would like to harm whoever said those things to her." Booth laughs at her and can't stop laughing until his stomach hurts. "Why are you laughing at me?" Brennan asks indignantly.

"Because that's exactly how I feel, Bones. I was just reminding myself I can't go beat up a kindergartener, even if they did hurt my little girl."

"Oh. I suppose that is funny," she says, the scowl on her face slipping into a smile. "I think I'm going to go check on her."

"I'll go with ya, Bones. I think seeing her sleeping soundly would do us both some good."

* * *

As Brennan falls asleep that night, she can't help but think of her conversation with Angela earlier in the day. She knows she's acting differently than usual, but she can't let herself believe the reason she thinks she's off. She hears Booth's breathing even out, signaling that he's fallen asleep, and tells herself that she had just been concerned about Christine today. She decides that after Christine gets home from school tomorrow and tells her everything is okay, she will return to her normal self. That thought brings her comfort and soothes her to sleep.


	3. Emails and Emotions

**A/N: Hi guys, another shorter chapter today. My migraines have been kicking my butt the past couple weeks and it's made writing really hard. I also don't think I'll be able to post a chapter of Angst in the Episodes because of the migraines this week, but a new chapter should be up July 23** **rd** **. Thank you again for all the kind reviews, especially to the guest reviewers who I can't thank personally via PM. Please continue to review, it makes it easier to push through the pain and write. Next chapter of this one will be up either Thursday or Friday. Hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

As Booth makes pancakes for breakfast, Brennan writes her email to Christine's teacher. "Booth," she says, turning her laptop to face him on the other side of the island, "will you read this over while I go check to make sure the children are ready? I find that I'm still quite upset about this whole incident and I worry that my phrasing my come off a bit…" she trails off, searching for the right word.

"Aggressive?" Booth provides.

"Yes," Brennan says, nodding. "I think that fits."

"I'll look it over and make changes if I need to."

"Thank you," she says as she turns and walks down the hallway to Christine's room. When she walks in, she sees Hank sitting on Christine's bed in just a diaper. "Hank! Where'd your clothes go?"

"No clothes!" Hank shouts, standing up and extending his arms for Mama to pick him up.

Lifting him into her arms, Brennan says, "Hank, you cannot go to daycare in just your diaper. It is not allowed."

"No diaper?" Hank asks, looking up at his mother.

Brennan notices the V in his brow that forms in her own when she's working with a set of remains and smiles. "No diaper," she replies. Still looking puzzled, Hank reaches down with both hands and pulls at the tabs holding his diaper on his body. "No, Hank, that's not what I meant!" Brennan exclaims, trying to catch the diaper before it falls to the floor. She almost succeeds, but gets distracted by the sudden warmth spreading across her stomach. Looking down at her stomach, Brennan groans.

At that moment, Christine walks back into her bedroom from the bathroom. She looks at her mom's face, her naked brother, the diaper on the ground, and the wet spot on Brennan's tummy before bursting into a fit of giggles. Hearing his sister laugh, Hank begins to laugh too. Although she is not amused, Brennan can't help but join in; the sound of her children's laughter is too beautiful to ignore. After a few moments of this, Booth wanders down the hall calling, "Breakfast's ready, guys!" As he reaches Christine's door, he asks, "What's with all the giggles? What'd I miss?"

"Hank," Christine breathes out between giggles, "peed on Mommy!"

"Hank, did you pee on your Mama?" Booth asks, looking at his son and trying not to laugh. Hank nods as his face flushes. "C'mere, buddy, let's go get you dressed." After he has Hank in his arms, he looks at Brennan. "You go get yourself cleaned up and dressed. I edited the email a little bit, but otherwise it's ready to go." Brennan presses a kiss to Hank's head as she walks out of the room to change out of her pee-soaked clothes.

* * *

As soon as Brennan has settled into her routine at the Jeffersonian for the day, she opens her laptop to send another email. She could have written it at home, but didn't want to risk Booth seeing it and ruining the surprise. Knowing that Dean was already trying to help with Christine's Memorial Day cards, Brennan figured that he'd be willing to help with the surprise project as well. She reads over her draft—which explains the project, what she needs help with, and that it is to be kept a surprise for Booth—before hitting send and moving to start her day's work in limbo.

* * *

In his office at the Hoover, Booth checks his email to see if Dean was able to get back to him yet about contacting families for Christine's Memorial Day project. His face lights up when he sees the response he was looking for. All he wants now is to leave work early and dismiss Christine from school so he can tell her she can do her project. Grudgingly, he sifts through the rest of his emails and begins his day of paperwork.

* * *

Just before noon, Brennan gets a text message from Booth asking if she wants to grab lunch at the diner. She responds and he says he'll pick her up from the Jeffersonian in fifteen minutes. She smiles before placing the remains she was working on back in the box and heading out of limbo. When she stops in limbo to grab her purse and take off her lab coat, she checks her email and sees two important responses: one from Dean, the other from Christine's teacher. She reads over Dean's email with a smile before stepping out of her office to meet Booth.

As she walks out of her office, she sees Booth walking through the front doors. "Hey, Bones!" he yells to her, a smile spread wide across his face. She waves, her facial expression matching his, as she walks towards him. He opens his arms for a hug when she reaches him and she complies, wrapping her arms around him. "I liked the first outfit better, why'd ya change?" Booth asks.

"Very funny," Brennan says, pulling out of his embrace to give him a dirty look.

"You never did get a chance to explain how you ended up with a naked Hank in your arms this morning," he laughs as he guides her out of the museum with his hand at the small of her back.

"When I walked into Christine's room, he was sitting on her bed wearing just his diaper."

"He really does love taking his clothes off," Booth interjects.

"Oh, I'm well aware of that. Anyway, I told him he needed to get dressed and he said no. When I told him he couldn't go to daycare in just a diaper, he looked at me and said 'No diaper?' When I said 'No diaper,' he thought I meant to take his diaper _off_. As I tried to catch the diaper to keep it on him, he peed on me. Then Christine came back from the bathroom and started giggling when she realized what had happened."

"And then when Hank saw Christine laugh, he started, so then you started."

"Correct," Brennan says, opening her door and climbing into the SUV. "And then you came in."

As the two drive to the diner, they talk about their kids and whether Hank's toddler antics compare to Christine's. "At least Hank hasn't bitten anyone at daycare yet," Booth says as he pulls into a spot in front of the diner.

Walking through the diner's door, Brennan turns to look at Booth. "I got an email back from Christine's teacher."

"What'd it say?"

"I haven't read it yet. I got it just before you arrived to pick me up, so I waited to open it until now."

Just then, their waitress comes over to take their order. "Hi Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth," she says. "Will it be the usual for you two today?"

"Yes please," they say in unison. The waitress laughs as she turns and walks behind the counter to deliver their order to the kitchen before bringing out their drinks.

"Let's open it," Booth says, turning again to look at Brennan. She nods and pulls her cell phone out of her pocket, proceeding to read the email out loud. After pausing for a moment to process the information in the email, Booth says, "I'm glad she emailed the other kid's parents and they've spoken to him about it."

"Yes, I agree," Brennan responds. "I still wish that there was more we could do, though." Then Brennan gets an idea, and her face lights up in response.

"What?" Booth asks.

"What are you talking about?"

"That face, that's your 'I have an idea because I'm a brilliant genius' face, Bones."

"Thank you," Brennan says to the waitress who places their drinks in front of them, ignoring Booth's comment.

"Tell me your idea, Bones," Booth presses.

"It's nothing, Booth," Brennan lies. "I just had a realization about the cause of death for the remains I was working on in limbo before lunch."

Booth eyes her, not entirely convinced by her explanation. He sees something in her eyes, though, that persuades him to drop his questions. The two talk about their kids, the upcoming weekend, and plans for their Memorial Day barbeque while they eat their lunch. As he drives Brennan back to the Jeffersonian, Booth forgets about Brennan's hidden idea.

Although Booth may have forgotten, Brennan didn't. As she kisses Booth goodbye, the wheels keep turning in her mind. Instead of heading back towards limbo or her own office, Brennan walks into Angela's office once she's inside the museum. "Hey, Bren, what's up?" Angela asks as her best friend walks through the office door.

"I need you to do me a favor," Brennan says simply.

"What's the favor?"

"I know yesterday was your day to pick up the kids and today is mine, but I need to talk to Christine's teacher after school today. I was wondering if you could come with me so Christine and Michael could play on the playground while I talk to the teacher."

"Sure, Bren. I'm not gonna say no to an excuse to get out of work and spend more time with the kids. Why do you need to talk to Christine's teacher, though?" Angela asks, concern shadowing her face. "Did something happen to Christine?"

"She is okay, but one of her classmates was mean to her yesterday. She told her class that she is planning on making cards for the families of soldiers who recently died overseas for Memorial Day."

"That's so sweet!" Angela interrupts.

"I agree, however, her classmate did not. One of the little boys in her class told her that the idea was stupid. She was so upset when she got home from school, Ange. She didn't want to do her project anymore and she was so excited about it originally."

"Is that why we're going shopping for care packages on Saturday?"

"Well, yes. But she will still be making her cards. I told her we could do a second project as long as she still made cards. I did not want to let the boy ruin the idea of making cards for her."

"Good thinking, sweetie," Angela says, pulling Brennan into a hug. She thinks to herself how much Brennan has grown in the years they've been friends, and a proud smile crosses her face. "So why are you going to talk to the teacher?"

"Booth and I were having lunch and we both agreed that we wished that there was more that Christine's teacher could do to make up for the fact that the boy was mean. I understand that it isn't the teacher's fault, but still. When we were talking, I got an idea. I was thinking that Christine's classmates could help out with the care packages. That way they would get a better understanding of the true meaning of Memorial Day and the little boy will do something in return for being mean to Christine."

"You're brilliant, ya know," Angela says.

"While I know that objectively that is true, I feel compelled to thank you. Thank you, Angela."

Angela laughs and hugs her friend again. "So that's what you want to talk to Christine's teacher about after school?"

"Yes, I know I could do it via email, but I find that I would rather do it in person."

Brennan returns to her office and emails Dean back, asking for a list of what would be the best items to include in the care packages. With that email sent, she returns to limbo to work until it's time to pick up the children.

* * *

Brennan and Angela climb out of Brennan's car to meet the kids on the playground. As the children run towards them, Michael Vincent shouts, "Cool! You're both here again!"

Christine runs into her mom's legs and wraps her arms around her stomach. "Hi, Mommy," she says, face nuzzled into her mother's tummy. She looks up and says, "I liked the other shirt better; it was softer."

Brennan tips her head back and laughs before responding, "Then blame your brother, Christine. It's his fault I had to change. And while you're at it, teach him to keep his clothes _on_ after I get him dressed."

"I'll try, Mommy," Christine smiles.

Angela looks at Brennan, confused about what other shirt Christine is talking about. "I'm sure Christine would love to explain while I'm inside." Brennan crouches down to look Christine in the eyes. "Was today a better day, sweetie?" Christine nods, so Brennan continues. "I'm going to go inside to talk to your teacher for a few minutes. Auntie Ange is going to stay here so you and Michael can play on the playground while I'm inside."

"Cool!" Christine and Michael shout at the same time. Brennan kisses Christine's forehead before walking towards the school's main entrance.

* * *

When they return to the Jeffersonian, Brennan brings Christine to her office with her. "Why am I here and not with Michael at science class?" Christine asks.

Brennan takes her hand and leads her to the couch, sitting down and motioning for Christine to do the same. "I just wanted to check on you first, Christine," Brennan says quietly.

"I'm okay, Mama, I already told you that!"

"I know you did, but I wanted to make sure. Plus, I had an idea that I wanted to tell you about."

"Why can't it wait 'til we're home? I wanna go to science!" Christine whines.

"I'm glad you want to go to science," Brennan laughs, "but it's about the surprise for Daddy, so we can't talk about it later in case Daddy beats us home today."

"Oh," Christine says, clearly still frustrated, but also eager to hear her mother's idea.

"I talked to your teacher today about your classmates helping out with the care packages a little bit."

"But Mommy! It's my special surprise for Daddy!"

"I know that, sweetie, and it still will be. We will do most of it ourselves, but I thought that maybe some other families in your class would like to donate items to send over as well. I think it will help teach the other children what Memorial Day is supposed to be about."

"I guess that's okay," Christine mumbles. "But we need to make them extra special then so they can still be _my_ project!"

"That's okay, Christine. How about you decorate the outside of the boxes and draw pictures for all of the soldiers?"

"Yeah! That would be fun."

"Maybe Auntie Ange can even help if you ask her."

Hearing that, Christine gets up and runs out of Brennan's office. Brennan just shakes her head as she walks towards Angela's office, knowing that's where she'll find her daughter.

"Will you help me with the pictures, Auntie Ange?" Christine says, looking up into Angela's face from her position on the woman's lap. She has both hands on Angela's belly, hoping to feel Michael's new baby brother kick.

"Of course I will, sweetie," Angela replies, squeezing the little girl in her arms. "Now, I think it's time for you to get to your enrichment program before you miss _all_ of the fun stuff!" With that, Christine gives Angela a hug before jumping up and running from the office, without even acknowledging her mother's presence.

"Bren, what's wrong?" Angela asks when she looks towards the door and sees Brennan crying.


	4. Differences and Deliveries

**A/N: I hope a quick update and a longer chapter makes up for the cliffhanger on the last one. The next update should be Tuesday as long as all goes according to plan. A lot of this update is very Brennan heavy, though I've sprinkled in a fair amount of Booth and Christine moments. I hope you enjoy this chapter, please continue reviewing!**

* * *

"It's nothing, I'm fine," Brennan says, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Don't try that, Bren. You're standing in my door crying, you're not fine," Angela replies, looking at her friend wearily before crossing the room and taking her hand. "Tell me what it is, sweetie."

Brennan sighs as she sits down next to Angela. "Really, Ange, I'm not upset. I'm just emotional. I love watching the way you and Christine interact," she says with a smile.

"Okay, seriously, what is up with you this week, Bren? I dropped it yesterday because I figured it was just an off day, but now it's two days in a row. Yesterday you're voluntarily feeding your kid _and yourself_ sugar before dinner and leaving work to do so and now you're getting weepy seeing me with Christine. You see us together all the time. I pick her up from school twice a week, just like you do with Michael, and we're all together at least every other weekend if we aren't working a case and you aren't visiting Parker."

Brennan's eyes widen as Angela finishes her rant. She thinks she knows the cause of her behavioral changes, but she is not ready to share that with anyone yet, not even Ange. "I, uh," she stumbles, trying to figure out what to say. "I think yesterday was a fluke. Booth would say that it was mother's intuition, that I knew something had gone wrong at school for Christine through the magical powers of my intestines," she says, finding her footing. "Personally, I think that the state of my brain chemistry yesterday just created a sugar craving and I thought that taking the kids out for frozen yogurt would be a good way to satisfy it." She pauses to look at Angela, who now looks wide-eyed herself. "Today, however, I think I am emotionally on edge because of Christine's incident at school yesterday. It upset me greatly and I am still feeling those emotions. Therefore, seeing her so happy with you and talking about her surprise for Booth overwhelmed me and caused those emotions to spill over." As Angela opens her mouth to speak, Brennan adds, "Additionally, I find that the sight of her hands on your pregnant belly was objectively adorable."

Angela didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't this. Brennan's genius was clearly showing because she went from stuttering to a perfectly reasoned and perfectly Brennan argument in a matter of seconds. Knowing there's no arguing with her when she's like this, Angela gives up once again. "Alright," she says, "but let me know whenever you want to tell me the truth about what's got you acting all funny."

Taking this as her chance to escape, Brennan stands and crosses Angela's office. When she gets to the door, however, she turns back to Angela and says, "Thank you. I will, I promise," before walking away.

* * *

When Brennan and the kids arrive home, Booth is already there. "Dada!" Hank yells as he walks through the door and sees his father sitting on the couch.

"Hey, buddy!" Booth says, standing to lift Hank into his arms. He presses a kiss to his son's cheek as he moves to hug Brennan. "How was school today?" he asks Christine.

"It was good! Me and Michael got the play on the playground after school," she smiles.

"It's 'Michael and I,' Christine," Brennan interjects.

"Whatever it is," Booth replies, "I'm glad you had a good day today, peanut. I have some good news for you."

"What is it?" Christine asks excitedly.

"Come sit down next to me and I'll tell you," Booth replies, moving to sit back on the couch. As he sits down, Hank slides off of his lap and walks towards Brennan, taking her hand and leading her down the hallway towards his room.

"I talked to my friend Dean who's still in the Army yesterday," Booth says.

"And?!"

"And he gave me a list of ten names of people you can make cards for." Booth stops speaking as Christine crashes into his chest to hug him.

"Thank you, Daddy!" she squeals. She crawls into his lap and gives him a kiss.

"You're welcome, sweetie. So on Friday, I'm going to pick you up from school and we're going to bring the cards over to Dean at his office and he'll send them out for us, okay?"

"Okay," she says. She looks up at him and says, "Can we cuddle for a few minutes?"

"Of course we can, Christine," Booth says, feeling his heart melt. He squeezes her a little tighter as she settles against his chest.

* * *

After dinner, Christine sends Hank to his room as she turns to look at her parents. She's bouncing up and down slightly as she says, "Mommy, Daddy? Will one of you play with Hank until it's bedtime tonight? I really want to start my cards for the soldiers' families."

Booth and Brennan smile at their daughter as Booth says, "Of course, Christine. You go get started on your cards and we'll keep your brother entertained."

"Thanks!" she says, hugging both of them before running off to her room.

"She must be very excited about this project," Booth says. "She never gives up her time playing with Hank."

"She is, Booth. Memorial Day means a lot to her because of all you've taught her. I'm glad the boy in her class didn't ruin this project for her," Brennan muses.

"I am too, Bones, I am too." Booth pauses to smile at his wife. "You go play with Hank, I'll clean up here."

"I can clean up Boo-"

"Go, Bones. She's doing this project because of me, so I should be the one cleaning the kitchen. Plus, I think you deserve to get some fun time in with Hank after he peed on you this morning."

Brennan groans. "Why does everyone need to keep reminding me about that?"

* * *

Booth walks down the hall and peers into Christine's room. She's lying on her floor with her tongue sticking out in concentration working on her cards. "Hey, Christine," he says, "how're the cards going?"

"Good! I finished four so far," she says, handing Booth four folded pieces of construction paper. Booth looks at the front of each card and smiles. While each one has an American flag on the front, none of them are the same. When he opens the cards, however, he has to hold back his tears. In the unique handwriting of a six-year-old, Christine had written a note inside each card. All the messages were the same: "I'm sory for yor loss. Love, Christine Booth" Sensing the change in her father's mood, Christine asks, "What's wrong, Daddy? Did I do something wrong?"

Booth forces his tears back and picks Christine up. "No, sweetie, you didn't do anything wrong. They're perfect."

She looks at him for a moment, brow wrinkled in confusion, before asking, "Then why do you look like you're gonna cry?"

Astounded by her ability to read him, Booth stumbles for a minute before explaining, "It's because I'm very proud of you, sweetie. Where did you learn to say 'I'm sorry for your loss?'"

"That's what everyone kept saying to Mommy at Grandpa Max's funeral," she says, looking down.

"Hey," Booth says, knuckling her chin the same way he does with Brennan, "look at me. Is making the cards making you sad?"

"A little, but it's okay. I just miss Grandpa Max a lot."

Booth hugs her tighter. "Me too, sweetie, me too. Maybe tonight instead of reading stories, your mom and I can tell you some stories about him. How's that sound?" Christine just nods as she hugs her dad. "Okay. You get your PJs on and brush your teeth while I go check on your mom and Hank."

"Okay, Daddy," she says as Booth places her on the floor and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him.

Booth walks quietly to Hank's room. He stops at the door to watch Brennan and their son from the doorway before interrupting to start their bedtime routine. Hank is on top of his bed running in circles. His clothes are in a pile at the foot of the bed and Brennan is standing next to the bed holding his pajamas. She reaches an arm out and grabs him, sending him into a fit of giggles. She lays him down on the bed and tickles him as he kicks his legs wildly. When she stops, she blows a raspberry on his tummy and pulls his top on over his head. "Stand up, Hank," she says, and he jumps up and tries to resume his running. She grabs him again and carries him over to the changing table.

As she changes his diaper, Hank yells, "Chri-tine!" and fights to get off the table. He was enjoying his playtime with Mommy until he realized that his sister was missing from his bedtime routine.

Booth chooses that moment to step into the room, saying, "She'll be in soon, buddy, she's just putting on her PJs."

Appeased by his father's appearance, Hank stills so Brennan can fasten the tabs on his diaper. "Dada," he says softly, reaching out to Booth. Booth takes the pajama bottoms from Brennan and slides into her place at the changing table. As he slips the pants onto his son's body, Christine comes into the room. Booth picks Hank up, and Hank immediately notices his sister. "Chri-tine, Chri-tine!" he yells as he reaches out for his sister. Booth puts the boy down and he barrels into Christine's legs, knocking her over. He climbs on top of her chest and plants a wet kiss on her lips.

Booth slips his arm around Brennan's shoulder as they laugh at their son's enthusiasm over his big sister. Christine laughs and gives Hank a kiss of his own from their pile on the floor. "Now climb off of me," she says, "so I can read you a story." Hank complies and runs to his bookshelf to pick out a book for his sister to read to him. The whole family sits on Hank's bed as they read him stories before going to do story time with Christine.

* * *

As Brennan gets ready to go to lunch the next day, she's grateful that her morning was largely uneventful. Hank kept his clothes on after she dressed him, Christine got to school on time, and Hank didn't throw a fit when she dropped him off at daycare. Despite Hank's willingness to play with his friends today, Brennan feels compelled to take him home early. As Angela picks the children up from school today and brings them to soccer, she sees no reason she needs to stay at work. There are no active cases and she's been making excellent progress on identifying the remains in limbo. She stands up and walks to Hodgins's office. She resents the fact that she needs to clear it with him before she leaves, but Cam did leave him in charge until she gets back.

"Dr. Hodgins?" she says as she enters.

"What's up Dr. B?" he says cheerfully, turning away from his microscope to look at her.

"I am going to leave early today and take Hank home if that's alright."

"Sure. Is something wrong with him?"

"No. He seemed fine when I dropped him off at daycare this morning. However, we have no open FBI cases and I've already identified several sets of remains in limbo this week. I feel that having some alone time with me could be beneficial for Hank," she says shortly, trying to sound as sure of herself as possible. Truthfully, she has no idea why she's leaving work early and taking Hank home. She just wants to, and since she rarely wants to leave work early, she's decided to follow the impulse.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then, Dr. B. Will Angela still see you at soccer?"

"Yes, I'd like to surprise Christine by being there for the entire practice instead of just to pick her up," she says with a smile.

* * *

When Booth gets out of the car to surprise Christine at soccer, he gets a surprise of his own. He looks over to the sideline where the parents wait, and sees Brennan chasing Hank in circles around a tree. As he walks towards his wife, he can't help but worry that something is wrong. She should still be at work, which means something must have happened with one of the kids to make her leave work early.

"Daddy!" Christine shouts, running towards her dad. "What are you doing here?" she asks as she jumps into his arms.

"I finished all my work early, peanut," he says as he kisses the top of her head, "so I thought I'd surprise you. Go finish your practice, we can talk after." As soon as her feet are on the ground again, she's running back onto the field. Now Hank is running at his dad because he heard his sister yell. Booth grunts as something crashes into the back of his legs and latches on. He twists his back to see what it is, and smiles when he realizes it's his son. "Hey, Hank. Let go of my legs and come up here," Booth says.

Brennan walks over, not too far behind Booth, and says, "Hi, Booth. I didn't expect to see you here."

"I didn't expect to see you here this early either, Bones. What's up, why'd you leave work early?" As his parents talk, Hanks pulls at his dad's tie.

"Yea, Bren," Angela says, sliding next to her friend, "why'd you leave work early?"

"I wanted to spend some one-on-one time with Hank this week. Since we're doing a girls' day with Christine on Saturday, this was the best day for me to do it. Besides, I don't have much work to do without any active FBI cases and I've identified several sets of remains in limbo this week," Brennan replies.

Booth and Angela look at each other, both knowing that something is up with Brennan but understanding that they can't push her on it right now.

* * *

When they get home from soccer, Christine immediately goes to her room to finish her cards. She comes out right before dinner with her stack of cards and three markers. She hands one marker to each of her parents and keeps the other one. "I'm all done with my cards!" she says. "I just need you guys to sign them."

"Why do you want us to sign them?" Brennan asks. "You made them on their own, they're from you."

"Because we _all_ care about those soldiers and I want their families to know that."

Brennan and Booth look at each other, pride shining in their eyes, as Booth reaches forward to take the cards. They create an assembly line of sorts; Booth signs one, then Brennan signs it, and then Christine helps Hank sign it. This continues until all ten cards have been signed.

"Go put these on your dresser, Christine. It's time for dinner and I don't want anything to get on them," Booth says.

* * *

The next morning, Christine adds another element to the family's already hectic morning routine. Having woken up early, she walks into her parents' room and shakes her mother awake. "Mommy? Wake up, Mommy," she says quietly.

"What is it, Christine? Did you have a bad dream?" Brennan says, voice rough with sleep.

"No, it's morning time already."

Sitting up, Brennan looks at the alarm clock and notes that Christine is correct. "You don't have to be up for another hour, Christine. Go back to sleep, sweetie."

"No, Mommy. I want you to curl my hair. Please?"

"Why do you need your hair curled, Christine? Is something special happening at school today?" Brennan says as she stands and walks towards the bathroom attached to her bedroom. Even if she has to be awake now, Booth still has another forty-five minutes of sleep.

"I get to meet Daddy's Army friend today!" Christine squeals as Brennan shuts the bathroom door behind them.

"Ahh, Dean. So you want to look special because you're meeting one of your father's friends?"

"Yes. I never get to meet Daddy's Army friends," she explains. Brennan plugs in the curling wand and lifts Christine up to sit on the counter.

When Booth wakes up forty minutes later, Brennan isn't in bed next to him. And the bed beside him is cold, so she's been up for a while. Concern flashes through him as he remembers her odd behavior until he hears a giggle coming from their master bathroom. The lights are on and the door is shut, so Brennan must be in there with Christine. Booth's heart rate slows as he stands up and heads to the closet to select an outfit for the day.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opens and Christine runs out and starts jumping on their bed. "Hi, Daddy!" she yells.

"Hi, Christine. How long have you been up?" he asks.

"About fifty minutes," Brennan replies as she grabs Christine and puts her on the floor. "Go get dressed, Christine." Christine gives Booth a hug before she exits the room to follow her mother's instructions.

"Why you up so early, Bones?" Booth asks, crossing the room and pulling her into a hug.

"She woke me up and asked me to curl her hair. She's excited to meet Dean today. She thinks it's special because she's never met any of your friends from your time in the Army before," Brennan replies, leaning into his hug.

"You lie down and rest for a few minutes, then," he says. "I'll make breakfast and get Hank up after I get dressed."

Brennan smiles and pulls herself from his arms. "Thank you, Booth. I don't know how I used to manage those hours at the lab. I got seven hours of sleep last night and I'm still exhausted because I missed the last thirty minutes."

* * *

As Booth pulls up in front of Dean's office, he says, "I've got a surprise for you from your mom, Christine."

"Really?" she says, getting out of her booster seat. "What is it?"

"Well, she told me that you wanted her to put makeup on you this morning."

"And she said _no_ ," Christine interjects, still annoyed at her mother's decision. "She said I was beautiful without it."

"Which is true, you are. But," Booth pauses, "she gave me this to put on you before you met Dean." He holds up a light pink lip gloss and watches as Christine's whole face lights up. "She said that she didn't think it was appropriate for you to wear makeup to school, but she knew that today was special to you. Hop up in the front seat for a second and I'll put it on you."

"Okay!" Christine squeals as she bounces over the center console and into the front seat. "Mom is the _coolest_!"

"I think you're right, your mom is pretty cool," Booth says as he carefully puts the lip gloss on his little girl. "Okay, rub your lips together now." As she does, Booth pulls down the passenger side visor and opens up the mirror so Christine can see herself. He slides out of the car and around the other side and opens her door. As she slides out of the car, he flips the visor up and grabs her cards from his center console. He hands her the cards and takes her hand as they walk towards the door.

* * *

"Booth?" Brennan says as she's pulling down the covers getting ready for bed that night.

Hearing the caution in her voice, Booth puts his hand over hers, both to calm her and to stop her movement. "What's up, baby?" he asks.

"Well," she pauses, looking down at the bed. He reaches over and knuckles her chin, forcing him to look at her. Seeing the love in his eyes, she feels reassured. "I was supposed to start my period today."

"'Supposed to,'" Booth muses, his face brightening as the wheels turn in his mind. "That implies that you didn't. Baby, do you think you're pregnant?"

"I can't know yet, Booth. It's quite plausible that my period may just be late," she says, and he visibly deflates. "However, I have been craving sweets this week. Frozen yogurt this time."

"So _that's_ why you went out with Christine, Angela, and Michael Vincent the other day. I figured that was one of Angela's pregnancy cravings."

"Yes, it was my desire for frozen yogurt, not Angela's. I don't even understand why I went to pick up the children from school. It was Angela's turn and she is fully capable of doing so on her own, but I just wanted to see Christine," she rambles, looking confused.

"It's like you're nesting, baby," Booth says as he pulls her forward onto the bed. He touches his index finger to her lips to stop her retort. "Let me explain myself before you jump in with your anthropology, okay?" She nods her assent and he continues, "I know we have already established our home and our family. We have our dynamic and our routines. But all of a sudden you want to spend more time with the kids, and that's natural. You picked Christine up from school on Tuesday, you're taking her out for a girls' day tomorrow, you snuck Hank out of daycare yesterday. I think," he says as he pulls her to his chest, kissing the top of her head lightly, "that you're subconsciously preparing to adjust the family dynamic to having another one running around someday soon." When he finishes, he can't help the smile that overtakes his face.

Although she can't see it, she feels it as his mouth is still touching the top of her head. She prepares her reply, but it's empty, for the sake of arguing a point. The notion of having another child makes her metaphorical heart swell, and she can't help but hope that she is pregnant. "While you have made valid points, Booth, none of them fit the true anthropological definition of the term 'nesting.' What you are describing is simply preparing for a transition." She leaves out the fact that her girls' day with Christine has an ulterior motive: a Memorial Day surprise for Booth. "And while I still believe that my period may start tomorrow and this whole talk is for nothing, I did pick up a pregnancy test on the way home."

Booth pulls away from his Bones so he can see her properly. "You have a pregnancy test?" he exclaims. "Then what are we doing sitting on the bed cuddling? You should be peeing on a stick!"

"Firstly, _you_ are the reason we are sitting on the bed, Booth," Brennan quips. "I was simply completing my nightly ritual until you pulled me into this position. And secondly, I don't want to take it yet."

"Why not? You bought it, that means you think there's a chance you think you're pregnant!"

"Because, Booth, while I admit that there is a chance that we may have conceived, my period may still be regulating itself. I haven't been off my hormonal contraception for that long, which means my cycle can still be more irregular than usual."

Brennan doesn't notice that she's slipped into more clinical, detached language as she offers this reasoning, but Booth does. And he understands why. His wife may have learned to trust and to love again, but she still struggles with the idea of hope. She's still afraid of getting her hopes up because she can't always accept that sometimes life _does_ work out how she wants it to. So, despite how eager he is to know for sure, he relents as he pulls her back into a hug. "Okay, baby," he mumbles into her hair. "But how many days are you going to make me wait before you take the test? We're having the cookout on Monday, so you should probably do it before then."

Brennan is grateful that Booth lets her go another night without seeing how lucky she truly is. Although she thought she wanted their family to stay at its current size, she realizes now that the idea of having a third child with Booth appeals to her. She relaxes into his embrace as she answers him. "You're right, I don't want to consume any alcoholic beverages at the cookout if I am pregnant, so we need to know before then. If I haven't started my period by Sunday night, I will take the test then, Booth."

"Sounds good to me, Bones," he says, kissing the top of her head yet again.

They remain in each other's arms for a few minutes before pulling away to finish getting ready for bed. As he goes through the motions on autopilot, Booth cannot pull his brain away from the fact that he might be a father again. More than anything, he wishes for Sunday night, so he can know for sure and so Brennan can process the hope she's trying to suppress. As they climb into bed, his hand automatically finds its way to her stomach, just like it does every time she's pregnant. He might not have a positive test result to prove it, but Booth is fairly certain that he is going to be a father again. Falling asleep with his wife in his arms, Seeley Booth cannot help but think that he is the luckiest man on Earth.

* * *

 **A/N: Just a fun fact: my full name is actually Christine, although my niece and nephews call me Tino when they're little. The pronunciation of Christine's name that I've given Hank is how every little kid I know first says my name when they're learning. For some reason none of them can combine the s and the t sound correctly and the s** _ **always**_ **gets dropped. The rest of my pronunciation/spelling/linguistics for the kids is based mostly on a combination of child development research and winging it, but that one is based on personal experience. Also, if you want to see Christine meeting Dean, let me know and I'll include it in the next chapter as Christine telling the story to Cam, Ange, and Brennan during their girls' day. I was going to write it, but ended up cutting it out to keep this chapter a somewhat reasonable length.**


	5. Maybes and Manicures

**A/N: I'm so sorry this chapter is late guys. I've been having some pretty bad migraine flare-ups again this week and I spent a ton of my time cuddling my nephew (he's 11 weeks old and the love of my life) when I otherwise would have been writing. I won't be able to post a chapter of The Angst in the Episodes this week because of the migraines, but I'm definitely continuing that series. I'm hoping to wrap this story up in the next few weeks. Please continue to review; I really appreciate it and it keeps me motivated!**

* * *

When Christine wakes up the next morning, she stands up to go get Mommy up. As she turns the doorknob to leave her bedroom, she pauses, remembering her father's words from the night before. She walks back over to her bed and looks at the clock sitting on her bedside table. When she realizes that the clock reads 6:03, she sighs and collapses back onto her bed. Daddy made her promise she'd let Mommy sleep until at least 8:00 this morning because she woke her up early yesterday.

She stands up again and heads to the bathroom, deciding that even though she can't wake Mommy up, she can still get ready. She brushes her teeth and walks back into her room to get dressed. As she pulls on her clothes for the day, she starts thinking about what Daddy will make for breakfast today. Then she has a revelation: Daddy said not to wake up Mommy, but he didn't say to let _him_ sleep!

She runs out of her room and towards her parents' door. She opens the door carefully and walks in. As she approaches the bed, she sees that they're both still sleeping. She frowns. She was hoping Mommy would already be awake so they could start their girls-only day. She walks over to her father's side of the bed and shakes him awake. "Daddy," she whines, "I'm hungry."

"What time is it, Christine?" Booth asks, turning his head to look at her.

She looks at the clock next to Booth's head. "6:22."

"What did I tell you last night?" Booth asks, frustration evident in his voice.

"You said I had to let Mommy sleep until at least 8. But I didn't wake her up, I woke _you_ up, and that's not the same thing."

"Go wait in the kitchen, I'll be out in a few minutes," Booth groans. He should've known better. Christine is Temperance Brennan's daughter—and only six—after all, he can't blame her for not understanding something he didn't say. Next time he'll need to specify that she needs to let them _both_ sleep in. He presses a kiss to Brennan's head as he slips his arms away from her body and stands up.

* * *

After finishing her breakfast, Christine asks, "Can I wake Mommy up now?"

"Not yet, peanut. It's only 7:15. And now that you're all fed and taken care of, you're going to let your mom sleep until 8:30," Booth replies as he loads the dishwasher.

"But that's not fair, Daddy!" she whines. "You said 8:00 last night!"

"I know I did, sweetie, but let her sleep a little longer. You can't leave until 10:00 anyway and your Mommy is really tired." Booth's reasoning is sound, but it's not really the reason he wants to let Brennan sleep. The thought that there might be another little baby growing inside Bones's belly makes him extra protective. Bones and the Maybe Baby need all the rest they can get, especially if they're going to spend the day trying to wrangle Christine in a mall.

"Fine," she pouts. "What can I do until then?"

"How about you go read in your room for a little while? I'm sure Hank will be up soon and then you can play with him after he eats his breakfast."

Christine slides halfway off the stool at the counter before she stops herself. "Will you braid my hair, Daddy?" she asks.

"I'll try, Christine," Booth replies. "I haven't done one in a while and you know I'm not the best braider."

"That's okay," Christine says. "The comb is in the bathroom with my hair ties." She smiles as Booth walks out of the kitchen to go get the supplies required to do her hair.

When he comes back, she turns so she's facing the counter and Booth stands behind her, placing the supplies on the counter. He gently drags the comb through her hair until it's tangle-free. He combs a small section from the front back into his hands and separates it into three sections, taking a deep breath. As he moves down her head, adding hair to each strand while he braids, he sticks his tongue out slightly in concentration, just like Christine does. When he reaches the bottom, he asks, "Can you hand me the elastic?" Christine hands it to him and he wraps it around the bottom of her braid. He checks that it's secure enough before saying, "Alright, it's done. Go look in the mirror and tell me how I did."

Christine slips off the stool and runs into bathroom. A few moments later, she runs back, a smile spread wide across her face. She runs into Booth's arms, who picks her up seamlessly. "It looks great, Daddy!" she squeals as she hugs him.

"Good, I'm happy you like it. Now you go read in your room while I get breakfast ready for your brother."

* * *

When Brennan wakes up, confusion strikes her immediately. The room shouldn't be this bright and Booth should still be in bed. As the last vestiges of sleep leave her mind, she realizes it must be later than she usually wakes up. She rolls over and looks at the clock, which reads 8:45. She can't remember the last time she slept this late. She stretches as she rolls out of bed and pads towards the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Her eyes fall to her stomach in the mirror as she's leaving the bathroom. A smile rises to her lips, but she tries to suppress it. She feels happy and hopeful; life has taught her that's a dangerous combination. Just a few months ago, she thought she wanted to eliminate any possibility of having any more children. The explosion at the lab, however, changed everything. Coming so close to losing what she'd always defined herself by—her intelligence—made her reevaluate how she viewed the possibility of more children. A few weeks after the explosion, she and Booth decided that she would come off the pill. They weren't going to try to have another baby, but they were going to stop trying to prevent another baby.

So Brennan had changed her view on having more children. Despite this fact, she didn't realize until this week how happy the idea of having another child made her. Ever since Angela pointed out on Wednesday that she was _off_ somehow, Brennan had been fighting the idea that she was pregnant. When she told Booth last night, though, she couldn't fight it anymore. She's accepted that it's a possibility. She cannot, however, bring herself to know for certain.

As her mind begins to race through the potential complications of pregnancy at her age, she realizes that she hasn't moved since she started looking in the mirror. Brennan is frozen in place, both hands cupping her belly as if she's pregnant. "Maybe I am," the thought flashes through her mind before she can stop it.

She shakes her head and drops her hands before she leaves the bathroom and her bedroom. When she opens her bedroom door, she hears the giggles that mean both kids are awake. She peers into Hank's room and sees the two of them racing trucks around his floor. Brennan turns and walks away from the kids. Even though she'd love to watch them all day, she's hungry and needs to eat something. And she needs to see Booth. Thinking about the risks if she is pregnant made her anxious. She knows seeing Booth will soothe her worries, at least for now.

Booth is walking out of their bedroom as she walks past it and they walk into each other. "Hey, Bones," Booth coos, pulling her into a hug. "I was just coming to wake you. Breakfast is ready."

"Hi," she murmurs, leaning into his hug. Her mind clears and she can't seem to worry about anything other than breakfast at this moment. "I'm starving, what'd you make?"

"Pancakes," Booth replies, pulling away from her and beginning to walk down the hall towards the kitchen. "And scrambled eggs and I cut up some fruit."

"Sounds delicious," she says, sliding onto her stool at the counter. He puts a plate in front of her before slipping into the seat beside her. "How exactly did I sleep this late, Booth? I figured Christine would've woken me up quite early again. She never sleeps in when she's excited about something."

"When I was putting her to bed last night, I told her she wasn't allowed to wake you until at least 8 AM. I knew she'd wake you up at the crack of dawn otherwise, and you seemed so tired yesterday. Silly me, I forgot to mention that she should let _me_ sleep too, so I was up with her before 6:30. But after what you told me last night," he smiles, "it was worth it. I'll get up early if you and my Maybe Baby in there can get some extra sleep." His hand falls to her belly and she can't help but smile.

"Thank you for that, Booth. I appreciate the sleep, whether I am pregnant or not." She pauses for a moment before continuing, "'Maybe Baby,' though, Booth? Really?"

"Well if it was Sunday night I'd know for sure. Since I doubt you'll approve of me going with my gut and acting as if I know for sure that you're pregnant—and I'm fairly sure that you are—I figure 'Maybe Baby' is a nice middle of the road. I can talk to and about her, and you don't have to yell at me that we don't know for certain."

Although she doesn't want to, Brennan laughs at his response. Leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his lips, she whispers, "You know me so well." She pulls back and adds, "You think Maybe Baby is a girl?"

"I'm about as sure of that as I am that you're pregnant, Bones."

"Well, all I'm sure of is that me and Maybe Baby are starving and this looks delicious," Brennan says just before turning back to face her food.

* * *

At 9:50, Christine begins bouncing up and down at Brennan's side. "Are you almost ready, Mommy? It's almost time to go!"

"Yes, Christine, I'm almost ready. I just need to check on your brother and your father and then we can go." She walks into Hank's room and sees Booth putting sunscreen on the small boy. "What are two of my favorite boys going to do today?" she asks.

"What do you mean 'two of,' Bones? Are we not your _only_ two favorite boys?" Booth asks, eyes wide with fake shock.

"Of course you're not, Booth. That wouldn't include Parker and I love him just as much as I love the two of you."

Hearing her response, Booth pauses his sunscreen application and walks over to his wife. "We'll have to FaceTime him soon, I miss him," he says as he hugs her.

"I miss him as well," she says. "But really, what are you two doing today?"

"Well, I think we're going to start with a trip to the park. Get him to run some energy out before the sun is at its brightest." He pauses as Brennan smiles at this part, knowing how concerned she is about keeping the children from getting too much sun. It's not something he has to worry about for himself, but the kids certainly inherited her paler complexion. "Then, we'll come back for a little while to have lunch and nap time. After that, I'm not sure yet. Either we'll play in the yard or I'll try to take him skating again. I'm hoping that without Christine there, he'll be more willing to _learn_ instead of just trying to follow her around."

"That sounds like a lovely day," Brennan says, kneeling down so she can say bye to Hank. "Come say bye to Mama, Hank," she says.

Hank looks up at her, but doesn't move. When she motions for him to come see her, he drops his truck and runs into her arms for a hug. "Love you, Mama," he says.

"I love you too, Hank," she replies, giving him a quick kiss. "I'll see you before dinner, okay?" He nods into her chest, so she continues, "Have a fun day with Daddy."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Booth pulls into the parking lot of favorite Hank's playground. As Booth steps out of the car and opens Hank's door, Hank shouts, "Play!"

"Yeah, buddy," Booth laughs as he unbuckles his son's car seat, "it's time to go play." Hank squirms out of his seat and falls to the floor of the SUV. Booth lifts him out of the car and carries him to the sidewalk. From there, he lets Hank run over to his favorite slide. He tries to climb up the slide, so Booth catches up to him and picks him up. "Slides are for going down, Hank, not up. Can you climb up the stairs for me?"

Hank nods, so Booth puts him down. He climbs up the stairs and goes down the slide, giggling. He repeats this about fifteen times, so Booth takes a seat on a bench to watch.

* * *

"Where's Auntie Cam?" Christine asks as they pull into the mall parking lot.

"She's meeting us inside, Christine. She's very punctual, so I'm sure she'll already be inside." Hearing that, Christine unbuckles her seat belt and jumps out of the car as soon as her mom puts it in park. "Christine!" Brennan calls. "Wait for me, do not walk across the parking lot by yourself." She grabs her purse from the passenger seat and gets out of the car, locking the door as she takes Christine's hand to lead her into the mall.

Once they hit the sidewalk, Christine drops her mother's hand and runs through the double doors into the mall. Brennan shakes her head and follows her daughter, not wanting to lose sight of her for any longer. When she steps through the doors, she sees Christine attached to someone's legs. As she gets closer and Christine is lifted into the arms of the person she ran to, Brennan realizes that she was correct; Cam had beaten them to the mall.

"Hi, Christine," Cam says sweetly. "I've missed you too, sweetie. I hear you told your mom that I came to visit you and Michael at your enrichment program?" Christine nods into Cam's shoulder, refusing to let go. "I thought that was supposed to be our little secret," Cam says, blushing as she notices Brennan and nods to her.

Christine pulls back to look at Cam. "Oh," she says. "I'm sorry. I got excited, I really wanted to see you Auntie Cam, I missed you a lot."

"It's okay, Christine," Cam laughs. "You'll be with me all day today and you'll see me again on Monday at your cookout, okay?" Christine nods again. "Now, can I put you down? You're getting kinda heavy." Christine doesn't answer, but simply drops herself out of Cam's arms and back to her feet. "Hi, Dr. Brennan," Cam says, moving to hug Brennan.

"Hi, Cam. How're the boys doing?"

"They're adjusting well. I'm excited for them to be with everyone this weekend instead of just one or two people at a time."

* * *

By the time Booth pulls into the driveway, Hank has finally stopped crying. He was torn between two desires: to keep playing and to eat. Sensing a need for Hank's nap, Booth made the decision for him. Hank did not approve of his father's decision and was quite vocal in voicing his dissent.

When Booth lifts the boy out of his car seat, Hank snuggles into his father's arms and Booth sighs. Booth would love to get some cuddle time in, but he knows he needs to feed Hank lunch before he falls asleep. Otherwise, he will not stop crying from the moment he wakes up from his nap until he's eaten. As he walks through the front door, he kisses his son's head. Hank responds by nuzzling further into Booth's chest.

Booth crosses to the breakfast bar where he sits Hank in one of the bar stools. "How's grilled cheese sound for lunch, buddy?"

Hank's eyes widen as he nods his head, so Booth moves to the fridge and begins pulling out the proper ingredients. Right before Booth closes the door, Hank says, "Milk please?"

Booth grabs the milk out of the fridge and sets it down before grabbing one of Hank's sippy cups. "Sure, buddy," he says as he pours the drink. Handing it to his son, he ruffles Hank's hair and says, "Good manners, Hank."

Hank takes the cup and smiles as he tips it back and drinks his milk while Booth makes them both a grilled cheese sandwich. When the sandwiches are done, Booth cuts up some strawberries and cucumbers to eat with them. Setting a plate in front of Hank and sliding into the seat next to him, Booth says, "What's this, Hank?" and points to the strawberries.

"Rawberries!" he exclaims before stuffing one into his mouth.

"Good job, buddy," Booth laughs before taking a strawberry off his own plate. Hopefully this good mood will last when he's putting Hank down and return when he wakes up from his nap.

* * *

When they're seated for lunch, Christine insists that she sit next to Angela and Cam. She says she misses Auntie Cam and needs to be next to her baby cousin in case he kicks. So as they sit on the restaurant's patio, Brennan sits across from her daughter instead of next to her.

Angela takes Christine's hand and places it on her belly. "He's kicking for you, Christine," she says softly, and Christine's face lights up. She places her second hand on Angela's belly as well. When she feels the flutters of the kicks, her smiles spreads even wider.

"Mommy," Christine exclaims, "I can feel him! I can feel my baby cousin kicking in Angela's belly!"

Brennan smiles at her daughter and says, "Isn't it a cool feeling, sweetie?" She's sure Christine replies, but she doesn't know what she says. Brennan has drifted back into the world of maybes. The picture in her mind is so clear: sitting on her bed, stomach distended as Angela's is, with Hank and Christine pressing their hands to her belly, trying to feel the kicks of their sibling. "The Maybe Baby," she reminds herself before snapping out of her reverie as the waiter arrives to take their orders. She orders a salad and water, her go-to, and is grateful for the ease with which her lifestyle allows her to order. She can find a salad she likes just about anywhere, which saved her considering she barely looked at the menu at all today.

"Mommy? Why'd you get that funny look on your face?" Christine asks as the waiter walks away. Brennan realizes that her thoughts must have had an emotional impact on her facial expressions.

"I was just thinking about being pregnant with you and your brother, Christine," Brennan replies, trying to find her footing. "I remember how amazed I was the first time you started kicking. It's incredibly interesting to watch you experience it from outside the womb now."

"Oh, okay," she says before to turning to look at Cam. "Have _you_ ever met Daddy's Army friends Cam? Mommy says you and Daddy have been friends for a really long time."

Cam smiles at Brennan while Angela laughs at Christine's oversimplification of Cam and Booth's relationship. "I can't say I have, Christine," Cam replies. "I think your mom is the only one who has ever gotten to meet your father's friends from the Army."

"Well Mommy _and me_ ," Christine says excitedly.

"When did you get to meet one of his Army friends?" Cam asks, genuinely surprised. In her time off from the lab, she hasn't kept up as completely with the other squints as she typically would. She still talks to them, of course, but she's been so focused on developing her own family unit with Arastoo and the boys.

"Yesterday!" she squeals. "Do you want to hear _all_ about it, Auntie Cam?" Cam nods, so Christine begins her story. "We had to drop off my Memorial Day cards so Dean could send them to the soldiers' families for us. So Daddy left work early and picked me up from school. When we got there, he put _lip gloss_ on me that Mommy sent with him."

"Wow, Dr. Brennan, you broke out the big guns for this occasion," Cam laughs.

"I didn't feel that I had much of a choice. She woke me up bright and early to curl her hair, so I knew it was important to her. She wanted makeup too, but I drew the line there, with the exception of the lip gloss after school," Brennan says.

"When we went inside we had to walk through lots of different desks to find Dean," Christine continues. "It's kinda like visiting Daddy at work, but Dean doesn't have a big office like Daddy does. When we got to his desk, Dean stood up to shake Daddy's hand. Then he bent down and started talking to me. He told me that Daddy brags about me every time they talk," Christine beams.

"He does that whenever he talks to _anyone_ , sweetie," Cam interrupts.

"It's true," Angela adds. "Between him and your mom I'm surprised we ever hear about anything other than how great you and Hank are."

Brennan laughs at the accuracy of her friends' statements. She and Booth are proud parents to say the least. Christine continues smiling and goes on with her story. "He told me how nice my project was and that the soldiers' families would really appreciate it. He said usually adults don't even do that much to honor soldiers for Memorial Day and that he was very impressed that I wanted to even though I'm only little. When I gave him all the cards, he looked at them and then he did the same thing Daddy did the first time he saw them."

"What was that?" Brennan asks. She had heard Booth's version of Christine's interaction with Dean, but Christine's storytelling was certainly different.

"He got this funny look on his face and his eyes got all watery. When it happened with Daddy, I got confused and thought I did something wrong. I didn't know why he looked like he was gonna cry. Then he told me it was because he was proud of me, so I think that's why Dean looked all funny too," Christine explains. Brennan nods at her daughter's logic, so Christine continues, "Then he put them down on his desk and looked at me again. He let me climb up into his chair and play with all his stuff while he talked to Daddy. I only sorta listened to what they were talkin' about," she says. "Mostly it was about Memorial Day, but they were being quiet like you and Daddy are when you talk about kissing stuff."

Brennan had just taken a sip of her drink and nearly sprayed it across the table. Her fair skin burns red as she splutters, "What are you talking about, Christine?" Angela and Cam look back and forth between Brennan and Christine, torn between hearing Christine's explanation and watching Brennan react to it.

"Every time you and Daddy start kissing you always talk _really_ quiet after. Like a whisper except even whisper-ier than a normal whisper," Christine explains.

"What happens after that, Christine?" Angela asks, smirking at Brennan. It seems fitting that Brennan passed on her attention to detail to Christine. That, combined with Booth's ability to read people, makes Christine too observant for Brennan's good in this case. Angela, however, is delighted at Christine's revelation and cannot wait to hear more.

"I don't know," Christine starts, momentarily killing the smile on Angela's face. "Usually it's bedtime right after, so we do story time and then I sleep." She pauses for a moment, face twisted with thought, before realization washes over her face. Seeing her expression change, Angela and Cam mirror the young girl's face: their smiles spread from ear to ear. Brennan, on the other hand, steels herself, attempting to prevent any more visible reactions to whatever her daughter is about to say. "If it isn't bedtime, though, they usually let me and Hank watch a movie. They don't watch it with us. They go to their room and take a nap I think."

"Oh, that's _very_ interesting," Angela says sweetly to Christine, watching Brennan's cheeks redden again.

"What else did you do at Dean's office, Christine?" Brennan asks, trying to move the conversation away from her and Booth's kissing talk before Angela can say anymore in front of Christine.

"They talked for a while until Daddy had to go to the bathroom. Then Dean asked about our care packages and I told him that Angela was gonna help me draw pictures for them! When he noticed Daddy coming back, he told me to ask him questions about what Daddy was like before I was born. Be didn't wanna ruin the surprise."

"What did you learn about your father?" Cam asks.

"He said Daddy seems happier now. He thinks it's mostly because of me and Mommy and Hank, but also because he doesn't have to be away in the Army anymore. That confused me, though, because Daddy is proud to be in the Army. So Daddy told me that he is proud to have been in the Army but he's happy that isn't his job anymore. Dean told me that the whole time him and Daddy were together he would talk about you, Mommy."

"Really?" Brennan asks, her voice rising more than usual with the question.

"Yep! He said Daddy always had a picture of you with him wherever they went. Dean told me that Daddy was _super_ good at his job in the Army and so he was in charge of teaching other people to do it too. That's like what you do with Wendell and Arastoo and everyone else, right, Mommy?"

"Right, Christine. It is different, however, because I work with my students for several years and your father only trained people in the Army for a few months."

"Is that why I get to meet the people you work with and not the people Daddy worked with?" Christine asks, head tilting as she tries to understand.

Sensing Brennan's discomfort, Cam jumps in. "That's part of it, Christine. Part of it's because the Army moves people around a lot, so not everyone your dad worked with lives close to us. And sometimes people in the Army think it's hard to talk about what they do for their job."

"Oh, okay," Christine says. "After he stopped telling me about Dean, we had to go home. Dean gave me a hug and told me it was nice to meet me. He even told me that my hair and dress looked pretty!" she adds.

* * *

"Hurry, Daddy!" Hank whines as Booth pulls at the laces on his skates.

As soon as Booth moves away from his son's feet, Hank tries to stand up. Booth puts his hand across his son's chest to keep him on the bench. "Hold on there, buddy. I've still got to put my skates on." When Booth finishes tying his own skates, he stands up and takes Hank's hand. "Stand up, Hank, but be careful. You aren't gonna be able to run like you can in sneakers."

Hank stands and looks puzzled by Booth's statement. He decides he's going to try to run anyway. When he begins to fall, Booth pulls him up by the arms and laughs. "I told you it wasn't gonna work, Buddy. Stand there for a minute while I put your helmet on." Hank considers walking away, but last time he disobeyed his dad with these things on his feet it didn't work out very well. He stands still until Booth clips his helmet on his head. Booth takes his hand again and guides him towards the ice, walking slowly so Hank can find his balance on the skate blades.

When they get to the rink, Booth steps onto the ice, but keeps Hank off of the ice until he turns back to face him. "Okay, give me both hands, buddy." Hank listens, intrigued as to what this activity is going to feel like. He's been on skates once before, but he didn't do much skating. Christine was skating too fast for him to stay with her, so he cried. When he extends his hands to Daddy, Daddy slides back slightly and says, "Okay, step down now, Hank." When Hank does what he's told, he feels his feet begin to slip out from under him. Daddy tightens his hold on his hands, so Hank is able to regain his balance.

"Okay," Booth says. "I'm gonna skate backwards and you just hold onto my hands and slide with me." Booth begins to move, gliding slowly backwards as Hank gets used to the sensation of skating. After a few trips around the rink, Booth speeds up a little. As he moves faster, Hank begins to giggle. Booth loves hearing his little boy laugh like that, especially in response to one of his favorite activities.

Eventually, Hank looks up at his dad and says "By myself?"

Booth glides to a stop and looks down at Hank, contemplating the request. "You want to try it by yourself for a little while?"

"Yeah!" Hank exclaims.

"Okay, Hank, but you have to be careful. I'll be right in front of you. You try to walk _really_ slowly. If you try to run, you're gonna fall, okay?" Hank nods. "After you get used to it, I'll start showing you how to skate for real."

Booth lets go of Hank's hands and Hank takes a tentative step forward. He leans back a little bit, but Booth steadies him so he doesn't fall. After a few minutes, Hank can take a couple steps at a time without losing his balance.

Booth picks him up and skates fast around the rink a couple times. The rink is mostly empty except for the two Booth boys, which Booth is grateful for. The emptier the rink is, the easier it is to keep Hank focused on learning to skate rather than wanting to skate fast with the big kids. As he flies around the rink with his dad, Hank can't stop his giggles. A smile spreads wide across his face as he holds tight around Daddy's neck. Eventually, Booth stops and puts Hank back down on the ice. "Keep your foot on the ground and push it forward, Hank," Booth says, holding both of Hank's hands.

Hank tries, but the instruction confuses him and he doesn't move. Booth thinks of a new way to phrase the instruction. Crouching down, he looks Hank in the eyes and says, "You know when you and Christine slide down the hall in your socks?" Hank nods, a smile overtaking his face at the memory. "Okay, do that when I stand back up."

Booth stands up and Hank slides forward, smiling again when he realizes that he did it. He pushes forward with the other leg, then stops. He repeats this process for fifteen minutes, unable to connect the movements smoothly. When he knows Hank is comfortable, Booth begins gliding backwards a little faster. Hank can almost keep up, but still struggles to smooth the transition from the movement of one leg to the next.

"Good job today, buddy," Booth says, picking Hank up and skating over to the entrance. "You want a pretzel for a special treat since you did such a good job skating?" Hank nods, so Booth walks over to the snack bar.

* * *

As they walk towards the nail salon, Angela pulls Cam aside. "Hey, Cam, can you do me a favor?"

"What's up Angela?"

"Can you bring Christine to get her nails done while Brennan and I go shopping for a little while? She's been off this week and I wanna see if I can figure out why."

"Is she okay?" Cam asks, concern clouding her voice.

"I think so," Angela responds. "She's just been wanting to spend more time with the kids and less time working than usual. So it's not a bad change, it's just not very Brennan."

"Alright. I'll take Christine. Does Brennan know about this plan?"

"No," Angela laughs. "I'm not going to give her a choice though. I'm going to tell Christine and Brennan about it at the same time…"

"And then Christine will be so excited that Brennan won't be able to say no," Cam finishes for her.

"Exactly." The two women walk faster to catch up to Brennan and Christine, who are about to reach the nail salon. "Hey, Christine," Angela calls as she's only a few feet behind the child.

"Yeah, Auntie Ange?" the little girl replies, turning around to face Angela.

"What do you think about spending some time with _just_ your Auntie Cam? You and Auntie Cam can go get your nails done and your mom and I will go shopping."

"That sounds awesome!" Christine squeals, running to hug Angela. Over Christine's head, Angela looks at Brennan and sees the confused look on her face. Confused beats angry, so Angela is rather pleased at how her plan worked out.

Brennan walks over to Cam, pulling money out of her purse to pay for Christine's mani/pedi. "Don't worry about it, Dr. Brennan," Cam says, stopping Brennan's hands before they can take cash out of the purse. "You covered lunch, I can get her nails. I needed this girl time today anyway. I love my boys, don't get me wrong, but I am vastly out numbered at home."

Brennan nods and walks over to Christine. "Have fun with Auntie Cam, Christine. If you need anything, she can call or text me, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," she says, hugging her mom before running over, taking Cam's hand, and walking into the nail salon.

With Christine out of earshot, Brennan turns to Angela and asks, "What was that about Angela?"

"It's about you, Bren. You've been off for days and you won't tell me why. Every time I ask, you escape and go back to work. Now you can't escape."

"I had an off week. I'm fine, I promise, Angela," Brennan says. She knows that Angela cares about her and is worried, but she's not ready to tell her about Maybe Baby yet. She starts walking away from the entrance to the nail salon so Christine doesn't see her standing there and get concerned.

Angela follows and touches Brennan's shoulder softly, effectively stopping her. Brennan turns to look at her friend, seeing the concern in Angela's eyes. "Are you really okay?"

"I am, Ange. I'm happy, the kids are good, Booth and I are solid. I'm okay. I understand that you're concerned that I've been off. I think I know why I've been acting strangely; I'm just not ready to talk about it yet. I told Booth last night, but I promise I'll tell you when I'm ready."

Angela looks into her friend's eyes and sees that she's being honest. She pulls her into a hug and says, "I love you, Bren. I'm glad you're happy. I'll try not to worry, but it's hard not to with you sometimes."

"I love you too, Angela. Thank you for caring. I'll tell you soon."

Angela nods and the two women start walking through the mall. After a moment, Angela says, "I didn't think I'd ever see your face go that shade of red talking about sex."

Brennan laughs and says, "Neither did I. However, I also never thought that my six-year-old would realize that Booth and I talk differently when we're aroused."

"She's your kid, Bren. Unusually observant and she has Booth's knack for reading people. Pretty soon she's going to figure out what you're actually doing when she thinks you're taking a nap."


	6. Beliefs and Babies

**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but I really wanted to get something up for this story this week. I** _ **should**_ **be posting for Angst in the Episodes this week as well, although I may update Monday as opposed to Sunday. Thank you for all the lovely reviews, I'm glad you're all enjoying the story! Please continue to review, it makes me happy and provides extra motivation to write. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

For most of the ride home from the mall, Christine cannot stop talking about getting her nails done with Cam. As Brennan looks at her in the rearview mirror, she smiles at the expression on the little girl's face. It had been a rough week, and Brennan is happy that Christine got to spend time with her Auntie Cam.

As they turn into their neighborhood, Christine says, "Mommy, I have a question for you."

"Okay, Christine," Brennan says, slightly concerned that her daughter is going to bring the conversation back to how she and Booth talk while they kiss. "What is it?"

"Why don't you go to the cemetery with me and Daddy for Memorial Day?"

Brennan pauses. It's better than the question she was expecting, but it still does not have an easy answer. "That's a good question, Christine. The answer is a little complicated, so I'll tell you when we get inside, okay?"

Christine looks out the window and realizes they've pulled into their driveway. As she unbuckles her seatbelt, she says, "Okay, Mommy." Brennan grabs a few shopping bags from the backseat and follows Christine towards the house. As much as she was annoyed that Angela had stopped her from going to get a manicure with Christine, she realizes now that it was ultimately a good thing. Because the care packages are a surprise for Booth, all the shopping they had done for them went home with Angela. That meant that Brennan and Christine almost returned from their girls' shopping day without any purchases. She and Angela had remedied that situation while Christine and Cam were getting their nails done.

When Brennan walks through the door, she sees that Booth and Hank are in the backyard. As much as she wants to go check in with her boys, she promised Christine an answer to her question. She sits down on the couch and motions for Christine to join her. As Christine snuggles into her arms, Brennan takes a deep breath as she decides on which approach to take.

"Christine," she begins, "do you understand why I don't go to church with you, your brother, and your father?"

"Yes," Christine responds, not understanding how this relates to her own question. "You don't believe the same stuff that Daddy does. We go to church with him so we can learn about being Catholic and when we get big, we can decide if it's what we believe."

"Correct," Brennan nods. "And what does Daddy believe that I don't?"

"That God is real," Christine asserts. She knows her parents don't agree, but she doesn't know what to believe yet. All she knows is that she likes spending time with Daddy at church and he always sneaks her donuts after. And that she wants to learn more before she decides.

"Right again. Part of believing in God and following Catholicism is believing in Heaven. Do you know what that is?"

"It's where the good people go after they die, right? And they get to be with the people they love and God?"

"That is the belief in Catholicism, yes. Part of going to the cemetery is that people believe it is a way of being closer to the people they are visiting even though the people are in Heaven. For me, however, I do not believe in Heaven. I believe that after a person dies, they're gone and I cannot physically communicate with them in anyway."

"Even Grandpa Max?" Christine asks, cheeks flushing red as tears threaten to fall.

"That's what I believe, yes. But, Christine," Brennan says, one hand on Christine's cheek, poised to wipe any tears that fall, "that doesn't mean that he isn't still with us. Everything he taught us and every memory we have with him will always be with us. And the love that we shared with him. You know how much he loved you, right?"

"Yes," Christine whispers, voice cracking as the tears spill over. She presses her face into her mother's breast. It may be months since she lost her grandfather, but she still misses him. Some days it almost goes away, but it's come up a lot lately and she can't help but feel sad. "It's not fair, why'd he have to die, Mommy?"

As Brennan rubs Christine's back, she tries to find an answer. Although she doesn't blame Booth, she knows her father died as a result of Booth's past actions. "I don't know, Christine," she answers. This is the truth. Although she can trace the cause and effect, Brennan will never understand why her father had to die.

"But you know everything," Christine says into Brennan's chest.

"I know many things, Christine; I'm quite brilliant. But you'll learn as you get older that there are things that I don't know and some that I can never know." As Christine calms down, Brennan pulls back and looks into her daughter's eyes. It hurts her to see the pain in them, but she cannot do anything to prevent it. Death is inevitable, especially with the lifestyle they live. Brennan wipes the tears from Christine's cheeks. She opens her mouth to speak again, but stops as Christine places her hands on Brennan's stomach.

Christine looks into her mother's face and asks, "What's wrong, Mommy? Why do you look like that again?"

Brennan knows she is caught again, for the second time today, feeling emotional over the Maybe Baby. Feeling Christine's hands over Maybe Baby stirred up the same feelings she's been experiencing all week: hope, excitement, happiness, and fear. "I just miss Grandpa Max too, sweetie. I miss him a lot." She takes a moment to compose herself before continuing, "I'm going to finish explaining why I don't go to the cemetery on Memorial Day, okay?" Christine nods. "For your father and others who believe in God and Heaven, going to the cemetery can help them feel closer to their loved ones who have died. It brings them comfort and they often talk to their loved ones there, even though their loved ones are no longer on Earth. Does that make sense so far?"

"I think so," Christine says.

"For me, because I don't believe in God or Heaven, being at the cemetery does not bring me any comfort. I feel that the people that I would visit are already gone, no matter if I visit their grave or not. Before you were born, I used to go to the cemetery with your father. Every year we were partners, even when we were dating other people, we went on Memorial Day. It was our tradition because he trusted me to tell me about his past and I cared about him. I wanted to be there to offer him comfort. Once you got old enough to go, however, I suggested that he bring you instead."

"Why? If it was your tradition why did you have him take me instead?"

"Because I know that one day you may grow up to believe the same things that he believes about religion. In that case, going to a cemetery could mean far more to you than it ever will to me. I wanted to allow you and your father to share this tradition. Whether you grow up to be Catholic like your father, an atheist like me, or some entirely different religion, I want you to be able to respect and honor your father's beliefs. I am not always good at that, and I want you to be better. Regardless of your religion, I thought it would help show you how important Memorial Day is. Additionally, your father doesn't talk about being in the Army a lot, but these cemetery trips show you how important his service is to him, even though he doesn't discuss it."

"I love you, Mommy," Christine says after a moment, pressing herself tightly to her mother's chest again.

"I love you too, Christine."

* * *

When Hank sees his mom walk into the backyard, he climbs off the swing set and runs to her. "Mama!" he yells. "I skate!"

As Brennan bends down to scoop the toddler into her arms she says, "You and Daddy went skating?" Hank nods his head vigorously. "That's awesome, Hank. Was it fun?"

"Fun, fun, fun!" Hank shouts. He plants a kiss on Brennan's mouth before wriggling out of her arms and running back to the swing set. She laughs and turns to look over at Booth, who has Christine perched on his hip. She smiles, loving how close the two are.

A moment later, Booth puts Christine down and she runs to join Hank on the swing set. Brennan walks over to Booth, and he wraps his arms around her. His hands fall to her belly as he says, "Hey, baby. How was your girls' day out?"

She leans backwards into him and says, "It was nice. It was good to see Cam and get to spend time with Christine. She did, however, say something _very_ interesting at lunch," Brennan laughs.

Booth stiffens, afraid to know what his wife's definition of "interesting" is in this case. "What'd she say, Bones?" he asks, voice tense.

"Don't worry, Booth, it wasn't anything inappropriate exactly."

"Then why won't you tell me?"

"Because it requires explanation and the children require dinner. We can only do one of those things right now, and dinner for the kids has to come first."

Booth sighs. "Fine. But you promise you'll tell me later?"

"Of course I will, Booth. I think it may entertain you."

* * *

As they sit in bed that night, Booth asks, "So what did Christine say at lunch that was so _interesting_ , Bones?"

Brennan laughs before responding, "Well, it seems that she's much more observant than we thought she was, Booth. She was telling us all about meeting Dean and she reached the point in the story where you and Dean were discussing Memorial Day. She told us that she didn't pay attention because you were talking quietly like we do when we talk about 'kissing stuff' as she puts it."

"What?!" Booth exclaims, his grip on Brennan's shoulder strengthening as his whole body tenses. "What does she mean when we talk about 'kissing stuff?'"

"That was fairly similar to my reaction, Booth. Angela and Cam quite enjoyed it. Angela was pleased because she never thought she'd see me get embarrassed with anything related to sex."

"But what did she mean by 'kissing stuff,' Bones? You can't leave me hanging like this."

"Oh, right. She said that whenever we kiss we always talk extra quietly after. Her exact words were 'like a whisper except even whisper-ier than a normal whisper.'"

Booth's face pales again at this response. "Oh no," is all he can manage to say.

"And then Angela asked what happened _after_ we talk like that."

"Double oh no."

"Christine told her that usually it's bedtime, so she doesn't know what we do after that. But then she remembered that sometimes we let her and Hank watch a movie while we, well, you know what we do."

"She said that they watch movies while we have sex?!" Booth asks, his voice higher than Brennan had ever heard it.

"Of course not, Booth, she's six. I do not believe she knows what sex _is_ yet. She thinks we go take a nap. You, however, know full well that that is not true. We most certainly do not nap when we let the children watch a movie in the middle of the day."

As if to prove her point, Brennan turns her head to kiss Booth. For a moment, he leans into the kiss. Suddenly, however, he remembers what they were discussing and pulls away. "Bones, not that I don't love when you do that, but this really isn't the best time for you to be kissing me. We're supposed to be discussing the fact that pretty soon our _little girl_ is going to figure out that we have _sex_ while we set her and her brother up to watch _Moana._ "

"Well, she is going to figure it out at some point, Booth. Especially if you're right about Maybe Baby. Six year olds are very curious and there is a good chance she is going to ask where babies come from if I am indeed pregnant."

Booth notices that Brennan has adopted his "Maybe Baby" terminology, but does not comment on it. He doesn't want to push her away from this small strain of hope she's accepted. "If that happens," he replies, "we tell her that the stork brings them. It's what everyone tells kids."

"We most certainly will _not,_ Booth. I may let you teach Christine about the Jesus myth as it is important to you, but I will not let you make up some mystical bird that impregnates me or drops an infant off in my uterus or something else equally as absurd. If she is old enough to ask, then she is old enough for us to explain the basic biology to her. She already understands that you have a penis like Hank and I have a vagina like she does. It's really not _that_ much further to explain to her how those organs function, at least in a basic sense."

"Bones! She's _six!_ She doesn't need to know about sex, a little white lie isn't going to hurt her."

"Actually, I believe that you are incorrect, Booth. She is entitled to accurate information about how the female body functions. Teaching her these lies is not good for her, Booth. Understanding how her body works is important. I will not tell her that a bird dropped off her baby sister."

"But, Bones!"

"No, Booth. If the issue comes up, we can discuss what exactly we will tell her and decide that together. I will not, however, lie to her."

Knowing that he isn't going to win this fight, Booth gives in. "Fine," he mumbles. He doesn't like the idea of his little girl knowing about sex, but he guesses Bones does have a point. She should know how her own body will work one day, even if he doesn't like the idea that eventually Christine will grow up. "What do we do about the fact that eventually she's going to realize that we aren't napping, Bones? Do you really want her to know exactly when we are having sex?"

"I suppose that is a fair point. I guess we will just have to control ourselves more in front of her from now on. We will have to keep the kissing to a minimum so at least she doesn't see us making out in the kitchen before we sneak off to have sex while she watches a movie."

Booth laughs, "I don't know what answer I expected, but it wasn't that." He turns her body and pulls her so she is straddling him. "Now that we've finished that conversation, can you do some more of what you were doing before? We don't need to worry about Christine knowing what we're doing now. She's sound asleep and she knows not to wake _either of_ us until 7:30 tomorrow morning unless she has a bad dream."

Brennan smiles as she leans in. She presses her forehead to his and says, "I think that could be arranged."

She kisses him deeply, and he responds. "Lookout, Maybe Baby," Booth says as he pulls back for a moment. "If I was wrong about you, then I'm gonna try to fix that tonight."

Brennan laughs as Booth rolls them over so he is on top her, kissing her again.


	7. An Accident and An Admission

**A/N: Okay, so I know it's been a while. After my friend passed, it took me a while to get back into the headspace of this story. That's also why this is a shorter chapter. I needed something to get back into this writing dynamic before I jumped into the next big plot point. So here's a not-so-average morning with Booth, Brennan, and the kids. I hope you enjoy! The plan is to have another chapter of this one posted before I move back into school on Saturday, but I also need to pack at some point, so no promises. Please review!**

* * *

"Mommy?" The voice is so quiet that Brennan isn't sure how it pulls her from her deep sleep. As she rolls over to find the source of her name, she feels a small hand touch her arm. "Mommy?" The voice says again.

"What is it, Christine? Did you have a bad dream, sweetie?" Brennan asks, sitting up slightly and taking Christine's hands in her own. Although it is dark, Brennan sees her daughter nod. "Do you need me to tuck you in again?"

"Can I sleep in here tonight, Mommy? Please? I'm scared," Christine says, her voice still small with fear.

Before answering, Brennan pulls her into a hug. "Okay, Christine. But just this once, okay?"

She sees Christine nod, so she lifts the covers and Christine climbs in next to her. As Christine settles next to her mother, she whispers, "I love you, Mommy," before closing her eyes.

"I love you too," Brennan says quietly. For a few moments, she doesn't move. All she can think about is whether Booth is right and there really is a baby girl growing inside of her uterus. If that is the case, then Christine is snuggled up as close to her sister as she could possibly be. Soon, Brennan feels the shift in Christine's breathing telling her that her daughter has fallen asleep. With her mind still thinking about the possibility of Christine being a big sister again, Brennan drifts back to sleep with her arms around her daughter.

* * *

The next morning, Booth rolls over and puts his arm across his wife's stomach like he does every morning. This time, though, he feels something other than the soft cotton of his t-shirt that Brennan put on to sleep in the night before. It takes him a moment to place the feeling, but he soon realizes that Christine is nestled in on the other side of Brennan.

He presses a kiss into Brennan's hair and smiles. Looking at the clock he sees that it's 8:00 and his smile widens. He knows Christine is in their bed because she had a nightmare, but he's glad that she calmed down enough to sleep in. Deciding against climbing out of bed just yet, Booth lies in bed with his girls and thinks about how lucky he is. He has three beautiful children and a wife who loves him. On top of that, his wife may be pregnant again.

She may not be letting herself feel the hope, but Booth can tell she's happy about the prospect of having another child. If she weren't, she wouldn't have given in to using his term "Maybe Baby." _12 hours_ , he thinks. _In about 12 hours she'll finally take the pregnancy test and she can know for sure. I don't know how she'll keep it from Angela, though. She's already noticed something is off with Bones and she'll notice within seconds if she's not drinking at the cookout tomorrow._

Before he can attempt to come up with a solution, he feels Brennan stirring at his side. As she rolls over to face him, Booth wraps his arm around her. "Hey, Bones," he whispers. Not fully awake yet, Brennan simply hums and folds herself into Booth's embrace. Although he was going to go start breakfast, Booth pulls her in a little tighter. With two young children, it's uncommon that they get to sleep in, even on the weekends. It's even more uncommon that he gets the luxury of holding his wife like this before anyone else is awake.

With Brennan snuggled against his side, Booth drifts back to sleep.

* * *

When Hank wakes up, he walks into Christine's room. But she isn't there. Next, he walks into the kitchen, but no one is there either. He walks back into his room to get his blankey. He can't find his family, and that makes him sad. So he takes off his pajamas and his diaper, standing in the middle of his room holding his blankey.

 _Pee on Mama,_ Hank thinks, remembering what happened last time he took off his diaper. "Mama!" he squeals. "Mama room!" Still clutching his blankey, Hank barrels down the hall towards his parents' room. He tries to push the door open, but can't. They always leave the door open slightly when they go to bed in case he has a bad dream, but today it's shut all the way. He pushes on it again, hoping it will open this time, but it still won't.

He drops his blankey on the ground and tries to stand on his tippy toes to reach the doorknob. His fingers barely reach as he stretches his body up to open the door. He can touch the doorknob, but he can't hold it or turn it to open the door. While he's concentrating on the doorknob, he doesn't realize that he pees on the ground by his feet.

After a few moments, he sits on the ground. When he picks up his blankey to snuggle, it's all wet. "Uh oh," Hank says, voice small. "I pee." And with this final straw, the little boy finally cries. "Mama! Dada! Tine!" he shouts between sobs. _Want Bwankey but Bwankey wet. I pee on Bwankey. No snuggle pee. Want Mama but door no open. No get Mama. No get Dada. No get Tine._

On the other side of the door, Booth stirs once again. Kissing Brennan's head, he slips out of bed, thinking he hears something outside their bedroom door, which is closed. _That's strange,_ he thinks. _We opened it a little bit before we went to sleep, just like we always do._ As he gets closer to the door, he hears Hank crying. _He must be trying to find everyone but can't get in cause the door's shut._ Opening the door, Booth takes a step into the hallway and almost slips. His right foot lands on Hank's blankey, which is warm and wet. Then he looks next to the blankey and sees Hank, naked and crying.

"C'mere, Hank," Booth says, bending down to pick up his son. "It's alright, buddy. I'm right here, Daddy is right here."

"Pee on Bwankey!" Hank cries.

"I know, bub, I know. We'll put it in the washing machine and it'll be all better," Booth says, rubbing Hank's back.

"All better?"

"Yeah, Hank, we'll make it all better. Now let's go get you a diaper so you don't pee on anything else, okay?"

"Diaper," Hank repeats, "okay."

* * *

After getting a fresh diaper on Hank, Booth puts Bwankey in the washing machine. "You wanna add the detergent?" he asks Hank, who is standing by the laundry room door, still sad about peeing on his blanket. Hank nods and runs over to Booth. "Here ya go, Hank. Be careful," Booth says handing Hank the cap of detergent and lifting him up so he can add it to the machine. Setting the boy back on the floor, he says, "There. Pretty soon Bwankey will be all clean again."

"No more pee?"

"No more pee," Booth nods. "But we do have to go clean up the hall so your mama and Christine don't slip when they wake up."

"No swip!" Hank repeats.

"Right," Booth says. He grabs a towel from the pile of dirty ones before going to the kitchen to grab the Swiffer. Hank follows behind his dad, wanting to help clean up his mess.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Christine wakes up. When she stretches out, she feels her hand hit something other than a pillow. For a moment, she's confused, but then she hears her mother say, "Ouch."

She had forgotten she had gotten into bed with Mommy and Daddy last night. "Sorry, Mommy," she says, rolling over to look at Brennan.

"It's okay, sweetie," Brennan replies, sitting up in bed. Once she's upright, one hand goes to smooth Christine's hair and the other falls to rest on her stomach. When she notices this, she moves the hand away from her stomach. _You don't know if you're pregnant yet. You have to stop acting as if you are,_ she thinks to herself. "How'd you sleep, Christine?" she asks to keep her mind away from Maybe Baby.

"Better in here," she replies. "I dreamed that Daddy was back in the Army and he got hurt."

Hearing those words, Brennan pulls her daughter into a hug. "Daddy is staying right here with us, Christine, I promise. He will not go back into the Army." She wants to promise that Booth will not get hurt, but knows she cannot do that. His job—their job—is dangerous and he risks getting hurt everyday. Despite that fact, he is more than capable of defending himself…but bad things still happen. "He's going to do everything he can to stay with us forever, peanut."

"I know. It was just a scary dream," Christine says, leaning into her mother's hug. "Can we go find Daddy now?"

"Of course we can. I'm sure he's up with Hank, and hopefully he's cooking us breakfast," Brennan says, pulling back the covers so Christine can climb out of bed. Christine slips out of bed and runs over to the bedroom door, pulling it open. When she goes to step into the hallway, however, she almost runs into her father.

Booth is crouched near the door with the towel attempting to finish drying Hank's puddle. Hank, in his effort to help, pats his hands over the towel saying, "No more pee, no more pee."

"Uh oh," Christine says.

"What?" Brennan asks, climbing out of bed and walking over to the door. When she gets there, she hears Hank's chant and says, "Oh." Stepping over the towel, she crouches down in the hall next to Hank. "Hey, buddy. Did you have an accident this morning?"

Hank stops helping Booth to look at Brennan. "Pee on Bwankey," he says, voice trembling slightly.

Brennan pulls him into her arms and says, "It's okay, Hank. Everyone has accidents sometimes. Did Daddy put Bwankey in the washing machine?" Hank nods, so Brennan continues. "See, soon it'll be all better."

"All better," Hank repeats.

"Right, all better. Now, how about we go get some clothes on you while Daddy finishes cleaning up?"

"No want clothes!"

"I know you don't, but if you want to go have a fun day outside, you have to put clothes on."

"Fun?"

"Yeah, you want to have fun, don't you?"

"I want fun!"

"Right, so let's go get dressed." Hank takes off down the hall, and Brennan follows behind him.

* * *

When Booth finishes cleaning up Hank's accident, he moves into the kitchen to start on breakfast. "Can I help you, Daddy?" Christine asks, following him.

"You sure can, sweetie. What do you think we should make?"

"French toast!"

"French toast it is!"

* * *

After breakfast, Christine and her parents get ready while Hank plays in his room. When Christine has brushed her teeth and gotten dressed, she joins Hank in his room. As Booth and Brennan get ready, Brennan asks, "So how exactly did Hank pee in front of our bedroom door this morning?"

"Well, when I woke up, I heard him crying 'Mama! Dada! Tine!' I think he was trying to find us, but couldn't get into our room because the door was shut."

"But we opened it before we went to sleep like we always do," Brennan interjects.

"I know we did, but I think Christine must have shut it behind her when she came into our room in the middle of the night."

"Oh," Brennan says, sitting down on the bed to pull on a pair of socks. "That makes sense. I didn't think to check the door when she came in, I was so tired I barely woke up at all."

"It's not your fault, Bones. Anyway, I think he took his clothes off because he was sad. And the diaper went with the clothes. He ended up in front of our door with his blankey, and I'm not sure exactly what happened after that. All I know is that I found him crying on the floor because he peed on Bwankey and he couldn't get into our room."

"Poor Hank," Brennan murmurs. "I hope he wasn't out there for long."

"He's okay now, babe, and that's all that matters. His blankey is in the dryer and we're gonna have a fun picnic at the park," Booth says, pulling Brennan into an embrace.

"I know," Brennan sighs, "I suppose I've just been more emotional than usual this week."

Crouching down in front of her so she's looking into her eyes, Booth puts one hand on her belly and says, "I think that's little Maybe Baby in there, Bones. She's got you all outta whack."

"I suppose we'll find out tonight," Brennan smiles. "I still haven't started my period."

" _You'll_ find out tonight," Booth says, grin stretching from ear to ear. "I already know. We've got a baby girl growing in there." He leans in and kisses Brennan's belly. "Hi, baby girl."

"You can't know, Booth, I haven't taken a pregnancy test yet."

"I know, Bones. I just know."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you, Bones. I know how you act, both when you're pregnant and when you're not. I've never seen you get this emotional when you weren't pregnant. You don't shift your routines for no reason and you've done it multiple times this week. You're different, Bones, and it's because of this little girl in there."

"I hope you're right," Brennan whispers. Hearing her finally admit what he's known since Friday—that she hopes that she is pregnant just as much as he does—Booth can't contain himself. He pulls her into a tight hug, peppering light kisses into her hair.

"I am, Bones. I know I am."

"I love you, Booth."

"I love you too, Bones. I love you so much."

* * *

 **A/N: Pregnancy test in the next one, I promise! I needed this chapter to readjust to the dynamic of this story before I felt comfortable tackling that point, because it's an important one. I hope you enjoyed the fluff and getting a more Hank-focused chapter in an otherwise Christine-centric story. Please review if you enjoyed it, the reviews help me write faster!**

 **And I'm just gonna plug my twitter real quick; if anyone's interested, it's auntietino and you can watch me self-destruct over how much I love Bones and its cast among other things on there.**


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